Bank robberies, car theft, cyber crime and others are not uncommon but have you ever heard of someone accused of stealing United States Postal Service postal stamps?

A Springfield, Massachusetts man, according to a United States Attorney's Office press release, allegedly used fraudulent checks to purchase a total of $30,000 worth of postal stamps. These incidents took place over the course of 2 days in Central New York in August of 2023.

107.7 WGNA logo
Get our free mobile app

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service announced that 32-year-old William Soto of Springfield, MA. was arraigned Thursday March 28, 2024 on a federal indictment charging him with twelve counts of theft of government property.

William Soto allegedly used fraudulent checks to purchase more than $30,000 worth of United States Postal Service postage stamps in Oneida County, Oswego County, and Onondaga County.

518 news, Man accused of writing fraudulent check to purchase stamps, Onondaga County, Oswego County, New York
Getty Images
loading...

According to Saland Law, in New York State, if a person altered a check or the person possesses a fake check, those are Class D felonies for the forgery in the second degree or the criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree. If found guilty of these crimes the criminal could face between two and seven years in prison.

The charges filed against Soto carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to three years. The investigation of this case is ongoing.

50 Fantastic Facts About New York State

From America's Smallest Town to the birthplace of the potato chip, here are 50 fun and fantastic facts about New York State. Scroll through to see how many of these you already knew.

Gallery Credit: Karolyi

New York Has 15 of the Most Popular Grocery Stores in America

Out of the top 40 grocery store brands in the United States New York has 15 of the most popular. Here's the list!

Gallery Credit: Karolyi

5 of New York's Most Devastating Invasive Species

Here are 5 species that have invaded New York State and in some cases they must be killed. We are talking about fish that walk on land, plants that cause severe burns and insects that could wipe out a variety of crops that we rely on.

Keep an eye out for these species and you hike, work around the yard or do some fishing this year. Should you locate any of these it is important to report where and when you found them to the New York State DEC.

Gallery Credit: Karolyi

More From 107.7 WGNA