Man pulls mail from Postal Service collection box in ‘fishing’ scheme, feds say

Individuals involved in a “fishing” scheme used “improvised devices” to reel in mail from U.S. Postal Service collection boxes with hopes of catching checks, federal authorities said. They would then cash those stolen checks or deposit them into their own bank accounts.

Now, a 39-year-old Pennsylvania man has pleaded guilty to aggravated identify theft in connection to the scam, according to a May 13 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

Authorities say Justin William Davis, of Berwick, admitted to having “fished” a “high value check” from a collection box as part of his plea agreement. In October, authorities say he used the victim’s personal identification information — their name and bank account number — to try to deposit that stolen check.

Davis’ defense attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.

In pleading guilty, Davis faces a mandatory two-year prison sentence and a maximum fine of $250,000.

Officials did not name any co-conspirators or provide information on how many checks or pieces of mail where stolen as part of the scheme.

This story was originally published May 16, 2022 at 1:24 PM with the headline "Man pulls mail from Postal Service collection box in ‘fishing’ scheme, feds say."