Man pleads guilty to taking $170,000 in checks from mailbox

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man has pleaded guilty to stealing dozens of letters that contained more than $170,000 in checks.

Court records show that 34-year-old Marchello Wilbon was convicted of mail theft Wednesday in West Palm Beach federal court. He faces up to five years in prison at a Dec. 13 sentencing.

Prosecutors say Wilbon was doing lawn maintenance in July when he saw a resident drop a stack of envelopes into a mailbox. Investigators say Wilbon took 39 checks valued at nearly $172,000 from the box.

The resident noticed the letters were gone while trying to mail another letter and contacted the carrier. A neighbor also called the police after seeing someone remove the letters.

Wilbon was identified as a suspect, and the letters were recovered from his company's work truck.

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