On May 30, 2019, in the Southern District of New York, Gelson Rojas was sentenced for the theft of U.S. Treasury checks. Rojas was previously indicted in June 2018, along with six other defendants, on charges of conspiracy to steal Government funds, theft of Government funds, and aggravated identity theft. Rojas and four of the defendants were also charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud.

According to court documents, from about May 2012 up to September 2017, Rojas and the others knowingly and willfully conspired to steal Government funds from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and convert them for their own use. The defendants wrongfully obtained U.S. Treasury checks in the names of victims and sold, deposited, or cashed the checks without the victims’ authorization.

Rojas and the other defendants knowingly and without lawful authority used, aided, and abetted in the use of names, signatures, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security Numbers, and driver’s license numbers of other individuals in connection with the offenses.

In furtherance of the scheme, Rojas and four other defendants cashed and deposited stolen checks into bank accounts, including accounts opened by using stolen identities. The investigation identified deposits of approximately $3.5 million in stolen tax refund checks.

Rojas was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay $494,003.64 in restitution.

Source:  The facts in this case narrative come from the following publicly available documents: S.D.N.Y Crim. Compl. filed May 16, 2018; S.D.N.Y. Indict. filed June 18, 2018; and S.D.N.Y. Judgment filed June 13, 2019.