A couple of Cubans arrested on charges of mail theft in houses in central Florida

A couple of Cubans residing in Hialeah were arrested after being found in possession of dozens of checks worth approximately $47,000, stolen from mailboxes in neighborhoods in the central-eastern part of Florida earlier this month, according to the Port Orange Police Department.

In a statement published this week, the police reported that the suspects, identified as Yania Romero, 40 years old, and Yohan Mayo, 36, were arrested on April 3rd in Deltona, Volusia County.

Both are accused of theft or receipt of stolen mail and possession of five or more pieces of personal identification —federal offenses— after their vehicle was captured by the surveillance camera of one of the victims, which led to their subsequent location and arrest.

The investigation into the case began when, on April 3, a woman from Port Orange reported to the local police that a security camera at her residence had captured a black sedan stopping in front of her mailbox and a person taking an envelope containing a check for $49.79 that she had left for the mail carrier to pick up, according to the criminal complaint.

The agents identified the car as a black Nissan Sentra and deciphered the license plate, which allowed them to trace the vehicle owned by Romero. The Volusia County Sheriff's Office issued an alert, and officers found the car in a Publix shopping center in Deltona, with Romero and Mayo inside.

During the vehicle registration, an envelope was found under the passenger seat —which was occupied by Romero— containing approximately 40 checks with a total value of around $47,000, which are believed to have been stolen from residential mailboxes. Among the checks was the one from the victim in Port Orange who made the initial report.

The police tracked the movements of the Nissan through various communities in the region, where the couple had allegedly committed similar robberies on multiple occasions. According to the court records of the case, a total of 25 different victims in Volusia and Flagler counties were affected.

The United States Postal Inspection Service in Central Florida was notified of the mail thefts and initiated an investigation into Romero and Mayo.

This type of crime is quite common in Florida. In February, five residents of Miami Gardens pleaded guilty in a mail theft and check fraud case linked to a criminal network that moved millions of dollars.

The cases are part of a long string of similar arrests in South Florida, where authorities have intensified operations against mail theft and check fraud.