Repeat Mail Thief Sentenced for Bank Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft, and Possessing Contraband in Prison

Brooklyn, NY – After a joint investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and law enforcement partners, Tyquan Robinson, 31, of East Orange, NJ, was sentenced on October 22, 2025, to 65 months in prison and three years of supervised release based on his role in multiple fraud schemes. In one of the schemes, Robinson stole the identity of a court-appointed criminal defense attorney and defrauded her of more than $125,000. He operated another scheme within his prison cell while in pretrial detention.

Robinson previously pleaded guilty on April 10, 2025, to bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and possessing contraband in prison. In one of the schemes to which Robinson pleaded guilty, he and his co-conspirators attempted to impersonate an attorney who serves as court-appointed counsel to individuals who cannot afford legal representation. After Robinson and his co-conspirators obtained a $125,000 reimbursement check that had been stolen from the attorney, Robinson purchased the attorney’s personally identifiable information on the dark web. He then purchased doctored identification documents in the attorney’s name but with a photograph of his co-defendant, Ada Tavarez. Using these falsified documents, Tavarez impersonated the attorney at a bank multiple times to open accounts in the attorney’s name and attempted to deposit the stolen check. As part of the scheme, Robinson accessed a fraudulent email account that had been created using the attorney’s stolen personal information. At the time of these events, Robinson was days away from being sentenced as part of an unrelated case involving his commission of a shooting at a bus stop.

Following his arrest for defrauding the attorney, Robinson was ordered detained pending trial. While Robinson was in custody, officers searched his cell and recovered a contraband cell phone that he had hidden in a box of cereal. A search warrant for the phone revealed communications about a separate fraud scheme in which Robinson discussed opening fraudulent bank accounts, depositing checks belonging to other people into those accounts, transmitting identity information belonging to other people to facilitate the fraud, and distributing fraud proceeds among Robinson and his co-conspirators.

“The collective efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies led to the disruption of a criminal network that engaged in an illegal financial scheme. This defendant victimized individuals for his own selfishness and enrichment. This sentencing highlights the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s commitment to securing the nation’s mail system from those who seek to exploit it for personal and financial gain,” said Postal Inspection Service New York Division Acting Inspector in Charge Darnell Edwards.

The Postal Inspection Service thanks the law enforcement agencies that helped to bring Robinson and his co-conspirators to justice. Additionally, the Postal Inspection Service praises the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for their critical contribution to and prosecution of this case.