Michigan
Second Florida man sentenced for stealing rent checks in Michigan
A second Florida man was sentenced on Thursday for stealing rent checks in four Michigan counties.
Rafael Rodriguez, 44, was sentenced at the 42nd Circuit Court to serve between six and 20 years in prison, the Michigan Department of Attorney General announced in a press release.
Rodriguez, along with co-defendant Juan Miguel Rodriguez-Venegas, of Florida, stole money orders and cash from apartment complex drop boxes and mobile home parks between 2019 and 2022, according to the release.
The two men targeted residences in Oakland, Saginaw, Bay and Midland Counties, according to the release. The Midland County Prosecutor’s Office and Department of Attorney General filed joint charges in March.
Both men pleaded guilty in August to one count of conducting a criminal enterprise and agreed to pay restitution.
Rodriguez-Venegas, 55, was sentenced to serve between two to 20 years in prison in September.
Reached Friday, Rodriguez’ attorney, Mitchell Manwell, declined to comment on the case.
“Michiganders work hard and deserve better than having their rent payments fished out of drop boxes and stolen by criminals,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said at the time Rodriguez pled, according to the release. “Thanks to our partnership with Midland County Prosecuting Attorney J. Dee Brooks, the perpetrators of this scheme will be held accountable and required to compensate these rent-theft victims.”
Rodriguez’ sentencing is the latest development in a case of stolen checks in Michigan.
A former Warren nursing home manager was charged in September for allegedly stealing more than $7,792 in checks from eight nursing home residents. The Southfield man was charged with six embezzlement counts.
Check fraud cases escalated from 350,000 reports of check fraud in 2021 to approximately 680,000 in 2023, the Associated Press reported. Postal authorities and bank officials warned Americans to avoid mailing checks or to use secure mail drops inside post offices.
Check usage has been on the decline for decades with credit and debit cards’ popularity surging. The average size of checks Americans rose from $673 in 1990 – or $1,602 in today’s dollars – to $2,652 last year, per AP.
PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan house explosion early Tuesday left one person dead and one in critical condition, authorities said.
Authorities have not yet determined what caused the fire and explosion, which happened around 4 a.m. in Plainfield Township, north of Grand Rapids.
When authorities arrived, the home was destroyed and the debris was on fire, according to the Kent County Sheriff’s Office. One person was dead.
Two neighbors pulled a woman out of the home after hearing her yelling.
“I had to get in there and get her out,” one of the neighbors, Tim Johnson, told WOOD-TV. He said they “grabbed her arms and pulled her out as far as we could.”
The woman was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
The blast shook Johnson’s house and he had second-degree burns on his head and a hand.
General contractor Jordan Yagiela not loving higher gas prices
Jordan Yagiela, who runs a construction business, comments on the increase in gas prices at a work site in Detroit on May 15, 2026.
Michigan gas prices fell 20 cents from last week to an average of $4.63 per gallon for regular unleaded, AAA said Tuesday.
“Michigan drivers are getting some relief at the pump, with gas prices falling 20 cents over the past week,” Adrienne Woodland, a spokeswoman for AAA-The Auto Club Group, said in a statement.
However, the company said demand for gasoline is up, and both supply and production are down, citing the latest data from the Energy Information Administration.
Demand increased from 8.75 million barrels per day to 8.76 million, according to the federal agency. The total domestic gasoline supply fell from 215.7 million barrels to 214.2 million barrels while production dropped last week, averaging 9.3 million barrels per day.
AAA also said the price of crude oil has risen while inventories are down. The price of crude was up 25 cents to $96.60 a barrel at the end of Friday’s formal trading session. Furthermore, the Energy Information Administration reported inventories fell 7.9 million barrels from the previous week. U.S. crude oil inventories are at 445 million barrels, about 2% below the five-year average for this time of year.
“While the recent drop is welcome, continued volatility and higher crude oil prices could quickly push pump prices higher again,” Woodland said.
The state’s average price of regular unleaded gasoline is 63 cents higher than it was at the same time last month and $1.42 more than a year ago, AAA said.
The company also said Michigan motorists are paying about $69 for a full 15-gallon gasoline tank, which is about $18 more than 2025’s highest gas price in August.
In Metro Detroit, the average daily price per gallon is down to $4.63, about 15 cents less than last week’s average, but $1.47 more than at this same time in 2025, according to AAA.
The company said the state’s most expensive gas can be found in Jackson at $4.74 per gallon, in Grand Rapids at $4.67 per gallon, and in Ann Arbor, also at $4.67 per gallon. The cheapest is in Marquette at $4.36 a gallon, Lansing at $4.50 a gallon, and Flint at $4.50 a gallon.
Nationally, a gallon of regular unleaded gas costs an average of $4.51, according to AAA. The price is down a cent from a week ago and up $1.33 from last year.
cramirez@detroitnews.com
X: @CharlesERamirez
As we look back and remember all those who died for our country on this Memorial Day, we’re also remembering the ones who made it back home. We found it fitting to share some of their stories from our recent trip to Washington D.C. with Mid-Michigan Honor Flight as our nation celebrates 250 years.
This is Mission 25.
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