JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville man faces up to 30 years in federal prison after Department of Justice said he stole mail and attempted to defraud banks.
Frank Acanda, 26, pleaded guilty on charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud Thursday, a press release from the DOJ said. Acanda must also pay the restitution to the victims he and his co-defendant, Jonathan Hidalgo, 26, defrauded. Hidalgo is set for trial in August 2024.
According to court documents, Acanda, Hidalgo and others drove around Clay, Duval and St. Johns counties and stole large quantities of mail from residential and business mailboxes. They opened the mail, stealing checks and money orders, prosecutors said.
Acanda, Hidalgo and "others acting on their behalf," deposited the items into bank accounts controlled by them and then used ATMs to immediately withdraw cash. The co-defendants altered the stolen checks by increasing the amount of the checks to maximize the amount of money they could withdraw from ATMs, court documents said.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the United States Postal Inspection Service - Jacksonville Office assisted the investigation.
A sentencing date for Acanda has not been set.
