A 23-year-old Stamford man faces federal charges stemming from his alleged role in a conspiracy involving the theft, altering, and negotiating of US Treasury checks stolen from the US mail.
David X. Sullivan, US Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Bradleigh Rival was charged by federal criminal complaint. As alleged in court documents, in 2024, the Connecticut Organized Financial Fraud Task Force began an investigation after learning that several social security checks issued to individuals in Connecticut and New York had been stolen from the mail.
The investigation revealed that more than 100 stolen US Treasury checks with a total value of several hundred thousand dollars had been deposited into the bank account of one individual. Mr. Rival had exchanged Apple Cash payments with the bank account holder, and was identified as a participant in a conspiracy to acquire checks stolen from the mail, “wash” or alter the named payee on the checks, deposit them into bank accounts of individuals they recruited, and withdraw the stolen funds at ATMs, through mobile apps, by making purchases at stores with cash back capabilities, or by using debit cards to purchase US Postal Service money orders.
Analysis of Rival’s social media accounts has revealed numerous photos of him in possession of large amounts of cash stolen during the scheme.
On September 16, 2026, Rival was arrested on a federal criminal complaint charging him with bank fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years; theft or possession of stolen mail, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years; and aggravated identity theft, an offense that carries a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of two years. He is currently released on a $200,000 bond.