Two Massachusetts men were sentenced in federal court in Boston for fraudulently depositing checks stolen from the mail.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, Senior District Court Judge Patti Saris sentenced Imanol Rios-Franco, 26, of Canton, to 35 months in federal prison and one year of supervised release. Rios-Franco was also ordered to repay $12,528 in restitution. Rios-Franco pleaded guilty in November 2025 to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to steal and possess stolen mail.
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Brandon Baez, 23, of North Attleboro, was also sentenced by Senior District Court Judge Patti Saris to two years in federal prison, followed by five years on supervised release. Baez was also forced to pay $10,285 in restitution. Baez pleaded guilty in November 2025 to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to steal and possess stolen mail.
From at least June 2023 to February 2024, the defendants and their co-conspirators took mail from USPS collection boxes with the intent to steal checks. After stealing the checks, they used commercially available chemicals to remove the handwritten ink. The checks were subsequently reissued to the co-conspirators or other bank accounts under their control. Following the illegal deposit of the checks, the defendants and their co-conspirators used the cash to withdraw money from ATMs or purchase money orders. A check of the co-conspirators’ telephones revealed that they worked together to further this illegal scheme.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley, Thomas A. Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Boston Field Division, and Nicholas Bucciarelli, Acting Inspector in Charge of the Boston office of the United States Postal Inspection Service. The Boston and Wellesley police departments gave valuable assistance. Assistant US Attorneys Lucy Sun and Philip C. Cheng from the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
This lawsuit is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) project launched under Executive Order 14159.
