A Rochester man has admitted to participating in a bank fraud conspiracy involving stolen checks, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo. Sheldon Marquis Adams, 26, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Prosecutors stated that between March and September 29, 2023, Adams worked with others to steal hundreds of checks from U.S. Postal Service mailboxes in the Rochester area. According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn M. Hartford, “Adams and his co-conspirators would then forge or alter the checks with the intent to obtain money from the associated bank accounts.” Adams used social media platforms to recruit people who would cash or deposit the altered checks into their own accounts and withdraw funds before banks detected the fraud.
If successful, those recruited were required to hand over most of the money received from cashing the fraudulent checks in exchange for a small payment for their participation. On September 29, 2023, authorities found Adams with 15 pages of blank check stock paper and about 335 stolen checks taken between April and June 2023 from USPS blue collection boxes. Some of these checks had been chemically washed using acetone.
The scheme affected approximately 227 individuals and 36 businesses as well as several financial institutions. The total value of stolen and altered checks reached roughly $516,912.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service under Postal Inspector-in-Charge Ketty Larco-Ward, New York State Police under Major Kevin Sucher, and Rochester Police Department under Chief David Smith.
Sentencing is set for March 25, 2026 at 2:00 p.m., before Judge Wolford.
