ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A 26-year-old man is headed to prison for his role in a financial fraud scheme involving stolen checks.
Sheldon Marquis Adams was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Adams worked with others to get hundreds of checks stolen from postal service mailboxes in Rochester.
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According to prosecutors, Adams and the others would use social media to get people to cash or deposit the checks into their own accounts and withdraw the money before the issuing bank detected fraud.
If the checks were cashed they were given to Adams and the others, and in return, the people who cashed them got a small payment.
Prosecutors say there were stolen and altered checks totaling over $516,000.
Adams used to play basketball at Bishop Kearney, later playing for Buffalo State.
Trust your gut feeling—if a transaction or a conversation feels pressured, overly emotional, or “off,” stop all communication immediately and seek a second opinion from a trusted friend or professional.