Pair arrested in stolen mail, fake credit card ring defrauded hundreds: deputies

(KRON) — A Sacramento duo was arrested for running a years-long stolen mail ring that involved distributing counterfeit mail keys to other criminals in its network and robbing victims of up to hundreds of thousands of dollars, said the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office said it was led to the alleged pair — Anh Phan and Nguyet Nguyen — and multiple other suspects after detectives arrested a woman in eastern Santa Rosa on several felony warrants and found evidence of check fraud.

As part of their operation, deputies said Phan and Nguyen were “manufacturing and distributing counterfeit USPS mail keys to Bay Area suspect, who stole mail and delivered it to Phan.” The sheriff’s office said Phan used the stolen checks and credit and debit cards to “create fake identities, complete with forged documents, for others to cash checks or use cards until they were canceled.”

Detectives said during a search of Phan’s and Nguyen’s Sacramento homes, they located hundreds of items including stolen mail, personal checks, and fake credit cards. The two were taken into custody at a local casino where more evidence of identity theft was found.

Phan and Nguyen were booked into Sonoma County Jail before posting their respective bail amounts for $150,000 and $100,000.

Their next court date has not yet been scheduled.