Man Pleads Guilty to Mail Theft
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An Aliso Viejo resident has pleaded guilty to mail theft in connection with a three-month crime spree that cost Laguna Hills and Laguna Nigel residents between $12,000 and $20,000, authorities said.
Neal Mitchell, 30, is charged with stealing from neighborhood mailboxes and then using checks and credit card numbers for his own purchases, said Southern California Postal Inspector Gene Griffin.
The thefts took place between October and December when an increasing number of residents reported missing mail to the Postal Service and Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
“I’m still getting complaints trickling in,” Griffin said. “People are realizing that their checkbooks aren’t balanced.”
Mitchell entered his plea in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana, Griffin said.
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