NEWARK, NJ – U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today that Brando Mancebo, a 24-year-old former resident of Paterson, New Jersey, has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for his involvement in a bank fraud conspiracy. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty in Newark federal court.
Mancebo previously entered a guilty plea via videoconference, admitting to charges of possession of stolen mail and conspiracy to commit bank fraud. According to court documents and statements, Mancebo and co-conspirators broke into U.S. Postal Service collection boxes in Bergen, Hudson, and Morris counties to steal mail. They fraudulently deposited stolen checks into bank accounts linked to members of the conspiracy, even though they were not the designated payees. Subsequently, they withdrew funds from those accounts.
In addition to the prison sentence, Judge McNulty has ordered Mancebo to serve five years of supervised release and to pay restitution totaling $106,374, along with a forfeiture of $2,025.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Newark, led by Postal Inspector in Charge Christopher A. Nielsen, Philadelphia Division, conducted the investigation leading to the sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Calle of the Special Prosecutions Division in Newark represented the government in this case.