SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Candice Nicole Freitas, 34, formerly of Martinez, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley to seven years and 10 months in prison for bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and possession of reproduced U.S. Postal Service keys, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, between April and August 2018, Freitas and her co-defendant Cody Cannon committed a fraud scheme in which they used counterfeit U.S. Postal Service keys to open residential mailboxes, typically in large apartment complexes, and steal hundreds of pieces of U.S. mail throughout Northern California. From the stolen mail, Freitas and Cannon harvested financial information, credit and debit cards, government-issued IDs, and personally identifiable information (PII). They also defrauded banks by using the stolen bankcards to purchase goods and withdraw cash from ATMs in at least Vacaville, Folsom, Rocklin, and Rancho Cordova.
In August 2018, Freitas and Cannon were arrested at their motorhome, which was parked in a hotel parking lot in Rancho Cordova. During a search of the motorhome, law enforcement found hundreds of pieces of stolen mail, checks, and bankcards, as well as documents containing the PII of dozens of identity-theft victims. Law enforcement also found stolen and counterfeit government-issued IDs, including at least 20 California driver’s licenses and two U.S. passports. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service has identified over 1,500 victims of mail and identity theft associated with these offenses.
This case was the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, the Folsom Police Department, and the Vacaville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Artuz is prosecuting the case.
In October 2019, Cannon was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison for his involvement in this scheme.