A probationer who had a stolen blue mail-collection box in his Corona living room when he was arrested could be sentenced Monday to federal prison for his role in a swiped checks scheme.
Paul Wagner, 29, pleaded guilty in Los Angeles in August to one count each of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Wagner faces the possibility of more than two decades behind bars when he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge George H. King.
Wagner was arrested by U.S. Postal inspectors in April following an investigation that began last winter. Prosecutors said Wagner forcibly removed a mail box from a Riverside sidewalk and took it back to his house in order to steal checks.
“Once Wagner obtained the checks, he would `wash’ the checks — meaning that he would remove the payee’s name by physically scraping off the ink or using chemicals to erase the ink,” according to court documents.
In one instance, he altered a check to make it payable to an identity theft victim in whose name he had created a fake driver’s license bearing his photo, court papers show.
Along with the drop box, hundreds of stolen checks and check-washing materials were seized.
Wagner has multiple felony convictions for possession of drugs for sale, as well as a conviction for illegally modifying a firearm, according to Riverside County Superior Court records.
