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.