A New York man pleaded guilty to charges of identity theft after using stolen identities to buy almost $100,000 worth of stamps from Connecticut post offices, according to the U.S Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
Ezekiel Bailey, 33, of Brooklyn, NY, pleaded guilty Monday in New Haven federal court in the scheme, according to a statement from David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service began an investigation after reports of someone using bad checks to purchase thousands of dollars worth of stamps in both Connecticut and surrounding states, the statement said.
Investigators found that Bailey had used the identities of three people, along with fake IDs and checks linked to checking accounts created in the victims’ names to buy $98,000 worth of postage stamps.
When Bailey reportedly tried to buy $300 in stamps at a post office in Stonington on Jan. 20, police arrested him. They found him in possession of two fake driver’s licenses, according to the U.S. Attorney’s statement.
Bailey pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory sentence of two years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 9 and was released on $25,000 bond.
