A Rochester man has pleaded guilty to participating in a financial fraud scheme involving stolen checks, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo. Sheldon Marquis Adams, 26, entered his plea before Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford on charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. The offense carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn M. Hartford stated that between March and September 29, 2023, Adams conspired with others to obtain hundreds of checks stolen from U.S. Postal Service mailboxes around Rochester, New York. The group would forge or alter the checks with the goal of withdrawing funds from the related bank accounts.
Adams used social media platforms to recruit people who would cash or deposit these fraudulent checks into their own accounts and then withdraw the money before banks could identify the fraud. Those recruited were given a small payment for their role after handing over most of the proceeds to members of the conspiracy.
On September 29, 2023, authorities found Adams in possession of 15 pages of blank check stock paper and about 335 stolen checks taken from postal collection boxes between April and June 2023. Some of these checks had been chemically altered using acetone.
The scheme affected approximately 227 individuals and 36 businesses as well as several financial institutions, resulting in losses totaling about $516,912.
“The plea is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Postal Inspector-in-Charge Ketty Larco-Ward, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Kevin Sucher, and the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith.”
Sentencing for Adams is scheduled for March 25, 2026 at 2:00 p.m., before Judge Wolford.
