Man jailed for stealing from US cargo holds
16 / 12 / 2008
A MAN has been jailed for stealing US Treasury cheques out of cargo holds at Newark Liberty International Airport.
Merlingh “Melvin” Alcantara was sentenced to five years in prison for recruiting a group of workers that stole nearly US$2 million over four years. His brother, Luis, who prosecutors described as the “brains” of the operation, fled the country back to their native Dominican Republic.
The cheques were shipped by the US Postal Service and then counterfeited, changing the names so that they could be cashed by others.