Five residents of Miami Gardens have pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related to a scheme involving stolen U.S. Postal Service mail keys, counterfeit checks, and drug trafficking. The defendants — Angel Joe Gonzalez, 28; Evens Necler Monestime, 27; David Gonzalez, 23; Cristina Azahares, 27; and Adriana Ginel, 56 — admitted to conspiring to defraud banks by stealing mail and checks, altering them for higher amounts, and using false identification to cash the altered checks.
Court documents state that from September 2021 through May 2023, the group unlawfully obtained postal service arrow keys to access locked mailboxes and steal mail. They then produced counterfeit and forged checks using information from the stolen items. The defendants used personal information such as names, addresses, bank account numbers, and signatures found in the stolen mail to deposit fraudulent checks into accounts they controlled. The proceeds were used for personal gain and to further their conspiracy. Some members also engaged in drug trafficking.
“These defendants targeted hardworking members of our community — stealing their mail, altering their checks, and exploiting their personal information for profit,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “At the same time, they trafficked dangerous drugs and armed themselves, bringing violence and fentanyl into our neighborhoods. That combination of fraud and drug dealing puts real people at risk. The Southern District of Florida will continue to dismantle these networks and protect the financial security and safety of our community.”
The Miami Gardens Police Department became aware of the operation on May 3, 2023 after responding to reports of gunshots at a residence shared by some defendants. During a search of the home, officers found approximately $1.7 million in stolen checks along with other pieces of stolen mail containing personal identifying information not belonging to anyone living there. Authorities also seized six postal service keys; about 40 debit or credit cards with various names; additional checks addressed to different individuals or companies; numerous electronic devices including cell phones and laptops; multiple firearms with ammunition; heroin, cocaine, MDMA pills, other narcotics packaged for sale; as well as fentanyl found inside a vehicle registered to Angel Joe Gonzalez.
Further investigation revealed that Angel Joe Gonzalez and David Gonzalez moderated a Telegram group with around 2,000 participants where they sold stolen checks.
Angel Joe Gonzalez pleaded guilty to several charges including possession of stolen mail keys, conspiracy to commit money laundering, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Monestime pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud along with similar drug-related offenses. David Gonzalez admitted guilt for conspiracy to commit bank fraud as well as aggravated identity theft and possession of stolen mail keys. Azahares and Ginel each pleaded guilty for their roles in cashing altered or stolen checks.
Gonzalez and Monestime each face mandatory minimum sentences of five years in prison up to life imprisonment. David Gonzalez, Azahares, and Ginel face mandatory minimums of two years up to thirty years.
The case was announced by Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva from the Justice Department’s Criminal Division alongside U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida; FBI Miami Field Office Special Agent Brett D. Skiles; U.S Postal Inspection Service Inspector Bladismir Rojo (Miami Division); U.S Secret Service Special Agent Rafael Barros (Miami Field Office); City of Miami Gardens Police Chief Delma Noel-Pratt.
The FBI Miami Field Office led the investigation together with local police agencies.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Hayden P. O’Byrne joined prosecutors Quinshawna Landon (Southern District), Jennifer Burns and Alieu Kargbo (Criminal Division’s Violent Crime & Racketeering Section) on this case.
This prosecution is part of a broader initiative targeting violent crime in Miami through coordinated efforts among federal authorities to address gang-related offenses.
Court documents are available on the Southern District Court’s website www.flsd.uscourts.gov or via PACER under case number 24-cr-20353.
