New Jersey Man Admits Thefts Of Checks From Mail Boxes

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) - A southern New Jersey man has admitted stealing thousands of dollars of government checks from mail boxes and postal trucks in the Camden area.

Forty-two-year-old Nathaniel Johnson faces up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty Thursday to theft of government funds.
Federal prosecutors say the thefts were part of an identity theft scheme that Johnson ran with his wife, Lakisha Scanes.

The pair stole Social Security, tax refund and unemployment checks from November 2009 to April 2010, then recruited people to cash them using fake IDs the couple provided. Prosecutors say the scheme cost the government more than $70,000.

Scanes pleaded guilty in January. Both she and Johnson are due to be sentenced in May.

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