Three men from Highland Park are facing charges after being indicted for an alleged mail theft and bank fraud scheme involving thefts from post offices across Southern California. According to the Department of Justice, the trio used Instagram to rope in third parties willing to deposit stolen funds into their bank accounts. Antonio Hernandez, 20; Ivan Murillo-Hernandez, 20; and Alexis Garcia Martinez, 28, led the police on a high-speed chase in April 2023, during which they were accused of littering the freeway with stolen mail.
Unveiled on May 14, the indictment charges each man with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Hernandez also faces additional charges, including bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, robbery of a post office, and mail theft. His accomplice, Murillo-Hernandez, is likewise charged with mail theft. The defendants allegedly engaged in this scheme from November 2022 to August 2023, targeting post office docks and other mail locations to pilfer checks, employing, threats of violence in their quest for ill-gotten gains. Authorities estimate the intended losses to the banks at a staggering $800,000.
Hernandez and Murillo-Hernandez have pleaded not guilty and are set to stand trial on July 8. Meanwhile, Martinez, who currently is in state custody on unrelated charges, is expected to be shifted to federal custody soon. The prosecution contends that the scheme involved providing vehicles for mail thefts and advice on eluding law enforcement detection.
The group's modus operandi included leveraging social media to connect with bank account holders, luring them with a share of the fraudulent deposits. In one post from December 2022, Hernandez brazenly advertised the sale of stolen checks on Instagram, searching for collaborators with Bank of America accounts that had been seasoned for more than two years. Once deposited, the stolen funds were quickly drained through cash withdrawals, electronic transfers, or debit card purchases. What's more, the ring even implicated minors, with at least three underaged individuals wrapped up in the illegal activities.
If convicted on all charges, the defendants are facing serious time with Hernandez staring down the barrel of up to 30 years for the bank fraud conspiracy charge alone. On top of that, Hernandez could be slapped with another 30 years for bank fraud, 10 years for robbing a post office, and a mandatory two-year consecutive sentence for identity theft. Both Hernandez and Murillo-Hernandez also could bag up to five years for mail theft. The case is a collaborative investigation effort by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Los Angeles Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, and the Anaheim Police Department, and is moderated by Assistant United States Attorney Angela C. Makabali of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section.
