NEWARK WOMAN ADMITS POSSESSING STOLEN MAIL

TRENTON, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey woman admitted to unlawfully possessing stolen mail in Hunterdon and Monmouth Counties, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.

Michele Dearaujo, 37, of Newark, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Anne E. Thompson to two counts of unlawfully possessing stolen mail.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

On Oct. 14, 2020, a mailbox in Hunterdon County was tampered with in the early morning; the victim had been expecting replacement credit cards to be delivered by mail. The victim later learned the victim’s credit card had been fraudulently used to purchase merchandise worth hundreds of dollars. The merchandise was to be shipped to Dearaujo at her address.

The investigation revealed that Dearaujo had stolen mail from several residences in New Jersey. Dearaujo admitted that on Nov. 20, 2020, in Hunterdon County, and on January 25 2019, in Monmouth County, she unlawfully possessed mail which had been stolen, knowing that it had been stolen.

The counts of unlawful possession of stolen mail each carry a maximum penalty of five years of imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for June 14, 2021.

Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited postal inspectors of the U.S Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Raimundo Marrero, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. She also thanked the Tewksbury Township Police Department, Rumson Police Department, Saddle River Police Department, Woodcliff Lake Police Department, Warren Township Police Department, Readington Township Police Department, and Clinton Township Police Department for their assistance.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Calle of the U.S. Attorney’s Office OCDETF/Narcotics Unit.

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Defense counsel: Chester Keller Esq., Assistance Federal Public Defender, Newark