Connecticut Couple Pleads Guilty to North Castle Mail Thefts
A Connecticut couple pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges of stealing mail from rural mailboxes in sections of North Castle and Bedford last year.
Shamaty Pacheco, 20, and Axel Zuniga-Loor, 25, both of Waterbury, Conn., each entered guilty pleas to fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, a Class E felony. County Court Judge Michael Martinelli accepted the pleas.
The pleas stem from an incident on Feb. 1, 2018, when Pacheco and Zuniga-Loor stole mail from boxes mainly in Banksville and some in Bedford, according to the Westchester County district attorney’s office. They were stopped in a car in North Castle and were arrested.
There were more than 500 pieces of mail recovered from the car that Pacheco and Zuniga-Loor were driving. The contents found in the vehicle were either mail that residents had received and had not yet retrieved from their mailbox or items that had been left for the postal carrier to pick up.
Stolen mail included at least one credit card, checks, W-2 information and other items containing personal identifying information.
“This theft of mail from rural-style home mailboxes is another example of brazen criminals seeking to make easy cash and, potentially, using personal credit cards and lifting personal information to pursue identity theft,” District Attorney Anthony Scarpino said in a statement. “We will continue to investigate and prosecute anyone who targets mail in Westchester County, whether from curbside mailboxes or those in front of residents’ homes.”
Sentencing was scheduled for May 22.
The district attorney’s office offered the following tips to help residents keep their mail secure.
- Empty your mailbox in a timely manner.
- If you are away, either stop your mail or ask a neighbor to pick it up.
- Never leave checks in the mailbox for pick up. Take the mail to a post office.
- Avoid sending cash, gift cards or money orders in the mail
- More Information regarding mail theft can be found at www.westchesterda.net/crime-prevention/mailbox-theft.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/