Chicago woman arrested for allegedly cashing stolen U.S. Treasury checks

CHICAGO - A Chicago woman has been arrested and charged with multiple felonies for her alleged involvement in cashing stolen U.S. Treasury checks at local currency exchanges.

Brenda Carrillo, 35, was charged with one felony count of aggravated identity theft and two felony counts of forgery. The arrest, made on June 3, 2024, was the result of a joint investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Chicago Police Department.

Carrillo is accused of using fraudulent identity documents to cash stolen Treasury checks on multiple occasions in 2024. On February 20, she allegedly cashed a stolen check at a Chicago currency exchange by presenting a fake ID that displayed her photo but matched the name and address of the intended recipient. Another incident occurred on March 26, when Carrillo allegedly attempted to cash a second stolen check with a different fraudulent ID. This time, the currency exchange did not cash the check.

Both checks were sent through the U.S. Mail but never reached their intended recipients.

"The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is dedicated to defending the nation’s mail system from criminal activity," said Ruth Mendonça, Inspector in Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. "We value our law enforcement partners for supporting our mission to protect the integrity of the U.S. Mail."

Carrillo's case is being prosecuted by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.