Former Danbury Residents Sentenced for Stealing Money From USPS

Two former Danbury residents were sentenced Feb. 4 in Hartford federal court for participating in a conspiracy involving the theft of monies from the U.S. Postal Service, the United States Attorney announced in a press release.

U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea sentenced Tony Sterlin Cantave, 34, to 13 months of imprisonment, followed by two years of supervised release. Venus Verges, 34, was sentenced to three years of probation, during which she must perform 100 hours of community service.

According to court documents and statements made in court, between August and October 2013, Cantave and Verges purchased U.S. Postal Service money orders in amounts ranging from $400 to $1000 at post offices in Stamford, Bridgeport, Greenwich, and lower Westchester County, N.Y.

After the money orders were purchased, the defendants used a mobile banking application to deposit the funds into bank accounts they controlled. Shortly after depositing the funds, the defendants returned to the post offices from which the respective money orders had been purchased, failed to disclose that they had deposited the funds, returning the money orders and were refunded the money.

Cantave and Verges stole approximately $12,300 from the U.S. Postal Service during the course of this scheme.

Cantave and Verges were arrested on June 20, 2014. On August 20, 2014, Cantave pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to convert public money and two counts of conversion of public money, and Verges pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to convert public money and one count of conversion of public money.

Both defendants were ordered to pay full restitution.

This matter was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John H. Durham.

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