Pair Enters Plea In Northern Westchester Mail Theft

NORTH CASTLE, NY — Two Connecticut residents have admitted to their involvement in mail theft in North Castle and Bedford. Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino Jr. said Thursday that Shamaty Pacheco, 20, and Axel Zuniga-Loor, 25, both of Waterbury, Connecticut, pleaded guilty to one count each of fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, a felony.

Scarpino said that, on Feb.1, 2018, Pacheco and Zuniga-Loor stole mail from residents' rural mailboxes in the Banks Ville area of North Castle and some in Bedford.

They were stopped in a care in North Castle and were arrested.

Among the stolen mailbox contents were either mail that people had recently received and had not yet removed or mail they left for the postal carrier to pick up, police said.

More than 500 pieces of mail were recovered from the car in which the pair was riding, authorities said.

The mail included at least one credit card, checks, W-2 information and other personal identifying data, police said.

They are scheduled to be sentenced May 22.

Following their arrest, Scarpino said, "This theft of mail from rural-style home mailboxes in another example of brazen criminals seeking to make easy cash and, potentially, using personal credit cards, and lifting personal information to pursue identity theft."

He said his office will continue to investigate and pursue anyone who targets mail in Westchester County, whether from curbside mailboxes or those in front of residents' homes.

The district attorney's office offered tips to keep your residential mail secure:

• Empty your mailbox in a timely manner
• If you are away, either stop your mail or ask a neighbor to pick it up
• Never leave checks in your mailbox for pick up. Take your mail to a US Post Office
• Avoid sending cash, gift cards or money orders in the mail
• More Information re: mail theft can be found here: mail tips

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