Pair Stole $700K In Checks Out Of North Jersey USPS Boxes, Officials Say

PASSAIC COUNTY, NJ — Two people have admitted to stealing nearly $700,000 in checks out of United States Postal Service boxes in Passaic County, officials said.

Leslie Blackwood, 25, of Irvington, and Verly Antenor, 24, of Roselle Park, recently pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal checks from the mail, according to U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer.

Specifically, between September 2021 and March 2022, the pair used stolen or misappropriated keys to access USPS collection boxes in Livingston and Clifton.

The duo would sell, deposit, or cause the stolen checks to be deposited to "fraudulently obtain funds from financial institutions," officials said.

Sometimes, they would erase and change the date, payee, memo line, and amount on the stolen checks, often for higher amounts than they were originally written for.

In total, the scheme profited the pair roughly $670,313.

Each man faces a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing for Blackwood is scheduled for Feb. 16, 2027, and sentencing for Antenor is scheduled for Dec. 17, 2026.