A Chelsea man was sentenced on April 7 in federal court in Boston for his involvement in a scheme to steal checks from the mail and deposit them fraudulently. Josman Romero-Delgado, age 24, received a sentence of time served—approximately four months in prison—and three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $39,157 in restitution. Romero-Delgado had pleaded guilty in November 2025 to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to steal and possess stolen mail.
According to court documents, between June 2023 and February 2024, Romero-Delgado and others stole mail from United States Postal Service collection boxes with the aim of obtaining checks. The group used chemicals to remove handwritten ink from the stolen checks before reissuing them to accounts they controlled. After depositing these altered checks into various accounts, they withdrew funds at ATMs or purchased money orders using the proceeds.
Authorities said that analysis of co-conspirators’ cellphones showed evidence of collaboration among those involved. The case announcement was made by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas A. Greco, Special Agent in Charge at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (Boston Field Division); and Jason Buckley, Acting Inspector in Charge for the Boston Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The Boston and Wellesley Police Departments provided assistance during the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lucy Sun and Philip C. Cheng prosecuted this case as part of an initiative under Executive Order 14159 called Protecting the American People Against Invasion through the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF). According to officials, HSTF is a collaborative effort involving multiple agencies dedicated to combating criminal organizations operating both domestically and internationally.
The HSTF places particular focus on crimes involving children as well as efforts aimed at prosecuting violent criminal aliens within U.S borders.