Web only: Man charged with stealing checks

Police say he cashed checks and used money to pay for a trip to Florida.

By: Joseph Harvie
   A 21-year-old Princeton man was charged with theft after he allegedly stole someone’s mail and used unsigned checks from credit card companies to pay for his car insurance and to finance a trip to Florida, police said.
   Andrew Riley was charged on March 30 when he came to police headquarters to turn himself in for the thefts, which police said totaled about $7,000 from the victims’ credit card accounts.
   Police said the checks were the blank ones often received when credit card companies send out solicitations to start new accounts.
   Detective James Ryan, South Brunswick police spokesman, said Mr. Riley would steal mail and cash the checks at area banks. He said a portion of the money was used to rent a U-Haul truck to drive to Florida.
   Mr. Riley is in the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in North Brunswick in lieu of $10,000 bail, police said Tuesday.
   Police said the investigation began after several residents in Kendall Park and Princeton Walk told police their mail was stolen on Feb. 24.
   Police said that they linked Mr. Riley to the thefts after the East Windsor Police Department charged him with shoplifting March 9, and found him with several pieces of the stolen mail.
   South Brunswick police Detective Greg Rule began investigating the case and went to area banks to look at surveillance footage taken on the days the checks were cashed. Detective Rule also discovered other pieces of mail from residents in the area in Mr. Riley’s car, which was impounded for having illegal license plates, police said.
   Police said they believe that in addition to the South Brunswick thefts Mr. Riley stole mail from residents in northern Mercer County and other municipalities in southern Middlesex County.
   Many residents were unaware that they were victimized in the incidents, Detective Ryan said. He said that because it happened at the end of the month, many of the residents will not find out how much was taken from their credit accounts until statements arrived at the end of April.