SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Dennis Joseph Machado, 44, of Stockton, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. to nine years and eight months in prison for schemes to distribute methamphetamine and defraud banks in Sutter, Sacramento, and San Joaquin Counties using identities obtained from stolen mail, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Machado and co-defendant Breneth L. Chase, 46, also of Stockton, obtained U.S. mail and postal keys stolen during burglaries of post offices in Sutter and Sacramento Counties. They used stolen mail to manufacture checks and government identifications to cash the phony checks, apply for lines of credit, and make purchases at local department stores at the expense of local banks and credit unions. When he was arrested, Machado had in his possession various manufactured identifications and stolen personal and financial information for numerous residents of Sutter, San Joaquin, and Sacramento Counties. Machado also possessed a scanner magnetic strip writer to re-encode bank cards to tap into victims’ lines of credit. In addition, Machado had in his possession methamphetamine for purposes of distribution. At the time of his arrest on Oct. 20, 2015, Machado - who had previous felony convictions - unlawfully possessed ammunition.
San Francisco Division Inspector in Charge Rafael Nunez of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service stated, “Postal Inspectors worked closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partners in law enforcement to arrest and prosecute those individuals responsible for the post office burglaries, mail thefts and fraud schemes committed against the public by the defendants in this case."
This case was the product of an investigation of the United States Postal Inspection Service, the California Highway Patrol, the Sutter County Sheriff's Office, the Stockton Police Department, and the Sutter Creek Police Department, with assistance from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Rodriguez prosecuted the case.
On Dec. 2, 2015, in a related case, Chase was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison. (2:15-cr-173 GEB)
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
