Home Crime Contra Costa County Man Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Mail Theft and Bank Fraud Scheme

Contra Costa County Man Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Mail Theft and Bank Fraud Scheme

Press Release

by ECT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Richard Beldon Waters III, 29, formerly of Contra Costa County, was sentenced today to four years in prison for bank fraud and possession of stolen U.S. mail, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between April and August 2020, Waters and co-defendant Desiree Bello aka Desiree Sanchez, 28, of Contra Costa County, perpetrated a mail theft and bank fraud scheme throughout Northern California.

The scheme involved stealing U.S. mail from residential mailboxes and harvesting bankcards, identification documents, financial information, checks, and personally identifying information (PII) for use in fraudulent activity. Waters and Bello used the identification and PII of the mail theft victims to obtain money and property from banks and businesses.

On at least two occasions, Waters and Bello used identification documents and financial instruments of mail theft victims to purchase and lease vehicles from car dealerships. For example, on June 25, 2020, Bello entered a Hyundai dealership in Stockton to lease a new Hyundai Genesis G80 using a stolen identity. She made an initial $7,000 payment with a check in the victim’s name, and also submitted a lease application using the victim’s name, date of birth, California Driver’s License number, and Social Security Number. The dealership ultimately approved the application. Bello was able to drive the new G80, valued at approximately $55,490, off the lot.

Additionally, on two separate occasions in May 2020, Waters knowingly possessed stolen mail. On May 11, 2020, he was arrested in Folsom where he possessed over 300 pieces of stolen mail. Similarly, on May 18, 2020, he was arrested in El Dorado Hills where he possessed five large trash bags of mail that he and his co-schemers had just stolen minutes earlier from a residential complex.

This case was the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Stockton Police Department, the Folsom Police Department, the Concord Police Department, the Pittsburg Police Department, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, and the California Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Artuz prosecuted the case.

In March 2022, Bello was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison for committing the same crimes as Waters.


Via Folsom Police

May 12, 2020

A field investigation by patrol officers Sunday night (5/10/2020) lead to hundreds of pieces of stolen mail, identity theft manufacturing equipment and a stolen car. It all started with a reported stolen car. Officers found the car in a hotel parking lot in the area of East Bidwell Street and Iron Point Road. The officers checked the area found a man and woman walking away from the car and learned the man was on parole and the woman was on probation.

The officers kept digging and learned the pair was staying at the hotel. When they searched the room, they found a computer and printer, evidence of the suspects manufacturing identity documents, and a large amount of mail stolen from Folsom and surrounding communities. The investigation also revealed that the stolen car was purchased with fraudulent documents.

This case shows how much mail one or two people can steal in a short time. You can help fight this crime by checking your mailbox daily. Empty mailboxes help reduce this kind of crime. Add an empty mailbox to your #9pmroutine

Folsom Police Detectives have taken over the investigation and will contact all known victims. They are coordinating with the United States Postal Inspector’s Office. Although additional charges may be discovered, both suspects, Richard Beldon Waters, 27 and Desiree Brianna Sanchez, 26, both of Martinez, CA, were booked into the Sacramento County jail for auto theft, identity theft, possession of stolen property and conspiracy to commit a crime

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