Former mail carrier and co-conspirator sentenced for quarter-million dollar identity theft and fraud scheme
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Robenson Fenelon, 31, and Squille Traxler, 30, of Indianapolis, have been sentenced to 54 months and 15 months, respectively, in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and theft of stolen mail. Fenelon also plead guilty to aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents, from at least January 2019 through December 2020, Fenelon and Traxler conspired with mail carriers in a scheme to steal the identities of at least fifty victims in Fishers and Indianapolis, and used that information to steal $244,222.93 from financial institutions.
At the time of the crimes, Traxler was employed as a mail carrier with the U.S. Postal Carrier. Fenelon recruited Traxler to assist in identifying potential identity theft targets. Fenelon and Traxler used Traxler’s access to the mail to obtain the targets’ identity information, including names, dates of birth, social security numbers, addresses, phone numbers, and bank account numbers.
Fenelon then used the information to access and take over the victims’ bank accounts, or to open new bank accounts in the victims’ names.
Fenelon contacted the victims’ banks, purporting to the victims or their relatives, and requested a new debit or credit card for the victim’s account. For the newly established accounts, Fenelon applied online or over the phone for new accounts and credit cards. Fenelon and Traxler then stole the credit cards from the victims’ mail. Fenelon and Traxler used the cards to withdraw cash and make personal purchases. They stole checks from the mail and deposited them into the bank accounts they controlled.
“Fraud schemes using stolen mail cause significant hardship to innocent victims and undermine trust in a vital government service,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Fraudsters must be held accountable, especially those criminals who abuse the public’s trust in service of their own greed. We will continue to work diligently with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General to ensure that those who steal from the public pay a significant price.”
The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Sarah Evans Barker. Judge Barker also ordered that Fenelon and Traxler be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for three and two years, respectively, following their release from federal prison, and pay $244,222.93 in restitution.
