Three men charged in Suffolk County mail theft scheme

Checks, bills and legal documents dropped into Suffolk County USPS blue collection boxes could have been exposed to theft in a scheme prosecutors say stretched across the county and reached into millions of dollars. Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said the case shows why residents who mail sensitive items should use indoor post office letter slots and report suspicious activity immediately.

Tierney announced July 7 that Nicholas Delvillar, 32, of the Bronx, Franklin Mercedes, 27, of the Bronx, and Jhosua Peralta, 24, of Queens, were arrested on grand larceny charges. Prosecutors allege the three stole more than 6,750 checks from United States Postal Service blue collection boxes throughout Suffolk County, along with money orders, gift cards and other items of value, with the stolen checks carrying a total face value of about $4.8 million.

Investigators say the trio traveled from the Bronx to Suffolk County on June 3 to carry out the thefts. News 12 reported that the alleged method involved a makeshift fishing device attached to a belt and coated with sticky glue, used to pull mail out of collection boxes. A search warrant later allegedly recovered thousands of checks, a loaded 9 mm firearm and currency.

Delvillar and Peralta were arraigned on June 5, and Mercedes was arraigned on June 10. Because the charges were non-bail eligible, all three were placed on supervised release with GPS monitoring while the case continues.

Tierney credited cooperation among the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, the Suffolk County Police Department, the New York City Police Department and the United States Secret Service. Sheriff Errol D. Toulon Jr. and Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said the investigation showed the value of joint enforcement against organized crime, while the Postal Inspection Service’s New York Division said mail theft can open the door to financial fraud.

The timing of the arrests comes as federal agencies have warned that mail-theft-related check fraud is rising. In January 2025, the FBI and Postal Inspection Service said suspicious activity reports tied to check fraud nearly doubled from 2021 to 2023. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network data showed banks filed 88% of mail-theft-related check fraud reports in its analysis.

Residents who mailed checks, bills or legal papers through Suffolk County collection boxes can report suspected theft to local police and Postal Inspectors at 1-877-876-2455.