A New York man was arrested after he stole more than $12,000 in stimulus checks from various mailboxes in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
NBC News reports Feng Chen,31, was caught by NYPD officers early Tuesday looking inside of mailboxes. He also searched through a medical-collection box and searching through mail left at a door. After he was spotted leaving another apartment building, Chen threw the envelopes on the sidewalk.
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Prosecutors say Chen had “more than $12,000, credit cards, opened envelopes and letters bearing the names of various individuals and mail addresses” in his possession when he was apprehended.
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Eastern District Attorney Richard Donoghue said in a statement that Chen and other people who committed similar offenses during the pandemic will face the consequences:
“For many families, these stimulus checks are a lifeline in these difficult times and anyone who tries to cut that lifeline will face the full weight of the law. This Office will vigorously prosecute all those who seek to take advantage of the public health crisis.”
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Chen was charged with mail theft and faces up to five years in prison.