In today’s episode Donna Harris sits down with Postal Inspector Eric Manuel of the Denver Division of The United States Postal Inspection Service.
DENVER – Delano Medina, age 34, of Denver, Colorado, was sentenced earlier this week by U.S. District Court Judge Philip A. Brimmer to serve 153 months (over 12 years) for being a felon in possession of firearms, mail theft, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer and Acting Inspector in Charge of the Denver Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Nicole Davis announced. Medina, who appeared at the sentencing in custody, was remanded at the conclusion of the hearing. The defendant was also ordered to pay $157,014.13 in restitution to victims.
Medina pled guilty to two counts of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon, one count of theft of mail, one count of bank fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents, including the stipulated facts contained in the plea agreement, between approximately April 1, 2013, and December 5, 2014, the defendant committed mail theft and bank fraud. The scheme to defraud and obtain money started with the defendant stealing outgoing mail from victims’ mailboxes. He focused on mail boxes that had the red flag raised, meaning there was outgoing mail to be picked up by the postal carrier. That mail contained victims’ personal identification information as well as financial information. Based on the stolen information accumulated from multiple victims, counterfeit checks and false identifications reflecting hybrid information from those victims were created. The defendant and others at his direction tendered counterfeit checks to a variety of retail operations for the purchase of consumer goods, especially electronics. The defendant and others then at times returned these goods to retailers in exchange for cash, or in some limited cases, in store credit. Medina conducted this scheme through numerous states, stealing mail in Colorado and then using the stolen information in Colorado as well as Nebraska, Arizona, Iowa, Texas and elsewhere.
Medina used a stolen identification to purchase a 9 mm firearm from a Cabela’s in Thronton, Colorado. He was prohibited from purchasing and possessing the firearm due to prior convictions of multiple felonies. Law enforcement ultimately recovered three firearms that the defendant admits he possessed. They were a Sturm Ruger 9 mm pistol, a Smith and Wesson 9 mm pistol, and a Browning .380 pistol. Two of the three firearms recovered from the defendant were involved in two shootings in the Denver Metro area. The defendant is currently in the Colorado Department of Corrections serving a 44-year sentence for using the firearm purchased at Cabelas in a shooting.
On December 5, 2014, defendant Medina was arrested at the Cherry Creek Mall when he attempted to purchase a watch with fraudulent identification. A search of his vehicle found that it contained numerous items related to mail theft, check fraud, and identity theft.
‘This case is a good reminder, especially during the holiday season, that people need to watch out for each other to stop potential theft of mail and other crimes,’ said U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer. ‘If you see something suspicious, please report it.’
‘This case demonstrated how Postal Inspectors work with local police agencies across numerous jurisdictions to build a successful federal prosecution,’ said Nicole Davis, Acting Inspector in Charge of the Denver Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. ‘The stiff sentence handed down in this case serves as a reminder of the potential penalty for violating the public’s trust in the U.S. mail.’
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service with assistance from the Lincoln, Nebraska Police Department, the Lone Tree Police Department, and the Grand Junction Police Department.
