Woman Charged With Felonies After Check Stolen From Mailbox: Cops

FAIRFIELD, CT — A New York woman faces felony charges in connection with a check that was stolen from a Fairfield resident’s mailbox and cashed for more than $15,000, according to police.

Dayana Castillo, 20, of the Bronx, is charged with second-degree larceny and second-degree forgery, police said. She turned herself in Jan. 19 after a warrant was issued for her arrest, according to police.

The charges against Castillo stem from an incident over the summer, police said. A Lawrence Road resident reported Sept. 7 to law enforcement that a personal check for $750 was stolen after the resident left the check in her mailbox Aug. 31, according to police. Days later, the resident was notified by Citibank that the check had been altered and cashed for nearly $16,000, payable to Castillo, police said.

Detectives discovered more than $30,000 was deposited into Castillo’s bank account in September via suspicious check transactions, according to police. When she was interviewed by detectives, Castillo said she allowed a person she refused to name to use her account for forged check transactions, and that she was promised payment of up to $2,000 per fraudulent transaction, police said.

“This particular type of criminal activity has been plaguing the Fairfield County area, and has resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses to area residents,” Lt. Antonio Granata said in an email.

Castillo is free on a promise to appear in court, according to court records. She has yet to enter a plea and her next court appearance is scheduled for May 12, court records said.

When mailing checks from residential mailboxes, police recommend residents take the following precautions:

• Don’t leave mail in the mailbox overnight.
• Bring mail to the post office when feasible.
• Watch for suspicious people or vehicles in the neighborhood and at your mailbox.
• Try to give mail directly to your postal delivery worker.
• Put the mail in the mailbox as close to pickup time as possible.
• Set up secure online payment rather than mailing checks.