Stamford Man Charged in Stolen U.S. Treasury Check Scheme
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Connecticut
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that BRADLEIGH RIVAL, 23, of Stamford, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with offenses stemming from his alleged role in a conspiracy involving the theft, altering, and negotiating of U.S. Treasury checks stolen from the U.S. Mail.
As alleged in court documents, in 2024, the Connecticut Organized Financial Fraud Task Force began an investigation after learning that several social security checks issued to individuals in Connecticut and New York had been stolen from the mail. The investigation revealed that more than 100 stolen U.S. Treasury checks with a total value of several hundred thousand dollars had been deposited into the bank account of one individual. Rival had exchanged Apple Cash payments with the bank account holder, and was identified as a participant in a conspiracy to acquire checks stolen from the mail, “wash” or alter the named payee on the checks, deposit them into bank accounts of individuals they recruited, and withdraw the stolen funds at ATMs, through mobile apps, by making purchases at stores with cash back capabilities, or by using debit cards to purchase U.S. Postal Service money orders. Analysis of Rival’s social media accounts has revealed included numerous photos of Rival in possession of large amounts of cash stolen during the scheme.
On September 16, 2026, Rival was arrested on a federal criminal complaint charging him with bank fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years, theft or possession of stolen mail, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, and aggravated identity theft, an offense that carries a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of two years. He is currently released on a $200,000 bond.
This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Connecticut Organized Financial Fraud Task Force (CUTOFF), the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs Office of the Inspector General, and the Stamford Police Department. The CUTOFF Task Force includes personnel from the Stamford, Westport, West Haven, and Bridgeport Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel E. Cummings.
