Tulsa, OK – Officers with the Tulsa Police Mingo Valley Street Crimes unit arrested a known serial fraud suspect, Roger Pineda, following a traffic stop in north Tulsa.
During the arrest, detectives from the Tulsa Police Financial Crimes Unit interviewed Pineda and discovered he was in possession of hundreds of pieces of stolen mail, tax returns, checks, and counterfeit IDs.
Pineda also had tools commonly referred to as “fishing tools,” used to steal mail from blue postal boxes. Investigators found that the stolen mail had been taken in the week leading up to the arrest, from locations across Tulsa.
Based on the initial investigation, detectives identified seven victims of identity theft. The U.S. Postal Service has since joined the investigation, and federal mail theft charges are being considered.
Pineda was also found to have been using stolen identities to open loans and cell phone plans. He was arrested on seven counts of identity theft and one count of knowingly concealing stolen property after a prior felony conviction. In addition, Pineda had multiple warrants for his arrest related to fraud and identity theft cases still pending in Tulsa County.
Tulsa Police Department reminds citizens to check their mailboxes daily, avoid leaving mail unaccounted for, and when mailing important documents, drop them off directly at the post office. The USPS also offers a service called Informed Delivery, which allows users to track incoming mail and packages.