PASADENA, Calif. -- More than 80 people are facing grand theft, money laundering and conspiracy charges after a massive mail theft investigation revealed they stole nearly $5 million from hundreds of victims across California, authorities announced on Friday.
According to the California Attorney General's Office, a large bank fraud scheme, which began in 2018 and continued for several years, involved suspects allegedly depositing altered checks stolen from the U.S. Mail into various bank accounts.
Those behind the scheme recruited individuals on social media and got them to open bank accounts - or utilized the individuals' own checking accounts - to try to conceal their identities when depositing the forged checks, officials said.