Former Penns Grove Man Admits To Check Stealing, Mail Carrier Robbery Scheme: Feds

A former Penns Grove man admitted to his role in a scheme to steal checks and rob mail carriers, authorities said.

Dezhon McCrae, 25, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, possession of a stolen postal key, possession of stolen mail, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release.

According to court documents and statements, McCrae was part of a “card cracking” conspiracy between May 2018 and February 2020. Suspects stole checks from the mail and other sources, then created counterfeit checks with the same routing and account numbers to deposit at banks.

The thieves posted social media ads for people who were willing to give the thieves access to their bank accounts. The thieves then deposited the counterfeit checks into those accounts and withdrew as much money as possible before the banks discovered the deposits were fraudulent.

More than $274,000 was stolen from banks, with McCrae being responsible for more than $10,000, according to investigators.

Three codefendants have already been sentenced in the case and three others have also pleaded guilty.

"McCrae owned up to serious financial crimes using multiple fraudulent schemes against government, banks, and individuals for his illicit gain," said Spiros Karabinas, Acting Special Agent in Charge for the Homeland Security Investigations office in Newark. "HSI Newark and the USPIS continues to investigate this case with our law enforcement partners in New Jersey and Georgia.

"Thanks to our collaboration, we are able to uncover McCrae’s corruption and hold him accountable for his actions."

McCrae was also charged for a similar scheme that happened between May and July 2022. He was able to steal more than $14,000 from another bank.

While charges were pending in the first scheme, McCrae was found with a stolen P.O. box key and mail in his home in Paulk County, Georgia, on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023. Police were originally sent to his home to investigate a shooting report.

Officers got a warrant to search McCrae's phone and found evidence that he used a fake New Jersey driver's license with a real person's name but the photograph of a conspirator. The fake ID was mailed to the conspirator in Camden in late June 2023.

The person who received the fake ID tried to use it when cashing a stolen check at a New Jersey bank on Monday, July 3, 2023. Employees were suspicious of the ID and the suspect left before the stolen check was cashed.

Investigators also found evidence that McCrae was part of a conspiracy to steal mailbox keys from two mail carriers in Cumberland County. A masked suspect assaulted the carrier and took the key in Fairfield Township on Tuesday, June 13, 2023.

The other robbery happened in Vineland on Monday, July 3, 2023. A masked suspect hit the carrier from behind and sprayed him with bear mace, but the thief wasn't able to steal the key.

McCrae faces up to 30 years in prison for the conspiracy to commit bank fraud charge. He could also be fined up to $1 million.

Sentencing was scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025.