FRESNO -  On Friday, Feb. 21, Justin Deger, 28, of Fresno, pleaded guilty to two counts of access device fraud and one count of possession of stolen mail, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. According to the plea agreement, from Dec. 5, 2018, through March 28, 2019, Deger broke into mailboxes at various Fresno area residences.

He stole over 2,000 pieces of mail, including 26 credit cards or account access devices. He subsequently activated some of those devices and made unauthorized purchases and cash withdrawals at retailers and casinos totaling thousands of dollars. As part of the plea agreement, Deger agreed to pay full restitution to the victims and forfeiture.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vincente Tennerelli and Joseph Barton are prosecuting the case.

Deger is scheduled to be sentenced on May 22. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the access device fraud counts, and a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the stolen mail count. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.