Two Men Plead Guilty to Stealing Checks From the Mail in Livingston and Clifton

Over $670,000 Fraudulently Obtained from Financial Institutions

NEWARK, N.J. – An Irvington man and a Roselle Park man both admitted to conspiring to steal checks from the mail using stolen or misappropriated arrow keys belonging to the United States Postal Service (“USPS”), U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced today.

Leslie Blackwood, 25, of Irvington, New Jersey, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in Newark federal court to an Information charging him with conspiracy to steal checks from the mail. Verly Antenor, 24, of Roselle Park, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty on July 16, 2026, before Judge Salas to the same charge.

According to documents filed in the cases and statements made in court:

Between September 2021 to March 2022, Blackwood and Antenor agreed with other individuals to steal checks from the mail. They possessed and used stolen or misappropriated arrow keys to access USPS collection boxes in Livingston and Clifton and steal mail containing checks. To profit from the scheme, Blackwood and Antenor sold, deposited, or caused to be deposited the stolen checks to fraudulently obtain funds from financial institutions. Blackwood and Antenor sometimes “washed” the stolen checks by erasing the date, payee, amount, and memo line from the stolen checks and replacing the information, oftentimes for higher amounts than the amounts originally written on the checks. Overall, Blackwood and Antenor agreed that the scheme caused an actual loss of approximately $670,313.46.

Every criminal must be punished and every innocent must get justice.

Contact Fraud Defense Attorney Joel Silberman to schedule a free legal consultation to fight for your right to justice. Call 201-420-1913 today.