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Danielson Man Pleads Guilty to Defrauding the U.S. Postal Service

Publication date: 
Wednesday, February 3, 2021

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, announced that ABILIO PEDROSO, 41, of Danielson, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden to theft of government property related to his receipt of more than $66,000 in fraudulent postal insurance claims.

Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the court proceeding occurred via videoconference.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from June 2018 through August 2019, Pedroso mailed hundreds of packages through the U.S. Postal Service to people he did not know, insured each package for $300, and then made indemnity claims falsely stating that the packages were missing or that the contents were damaged.  Although Pedroso purported the contents of the packages to be valuables, such as watches and iPads, he actually mailed items of little value, such as DVDs and telephone chargers.

Pedroso filed more than 240 indemnity claims and received $66,640.43 through this scheme.  Most of the claims were in Pedroso’s name, but he also used other names to mail the packages, make the false indemnity claims, and deposit the proceeds of the insurance checks.

Theft of government property carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

Pedroso is released pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.

This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria del Pilar Gonzalez.

Additional Details
URL
Component
USAO - Connecticut;
OIG
Department of Education OIG