By: Richard L. Smith
A Queens woman admitted leading a wide-ranging criminal enterprise that federal prosecutors said involved the theft of millions of dollars in checks, the kidnapping of a luxury car businessman, attacks on postal workers and an attempted shooting.
According to information released by U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer, 29-year-old Silvia Vasquez Rivera pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit a pattern of racketeering activity.
Federal prosecutors said Vasquez Rivera led an operation that obtained stolen U.S. Postal Service keys and used them to access collection boxes and steal mail.
Authorities said members of the enterprise conspired to steal mail on approximately 100 occasions and advertised more than 1,400 stolen checks for sale online.
The checks totaled more than $2.8 million, according to federal officials.
The criminal activity extended beyond mail theft, prosecutors said.
In May 2023, following an unsuccessful investment involving a luxury car business, Vasquez Rivera allegedly arranged for masked men to assault and kidnap a victim.
Federal authorities said the victim was transported from New York to New Jersey and back before being held for ransom.
The victim was released after family members and friends made a ransom payment.
Prosecutors also said that in March 2024, after Vasquez Rivera was robbed of proceeds connected to the enterprise, she directed associates to fire gunshots into a vehicle in the Bronx that she believed contained the person responsible for the robbery.
Several months later, in August 2024, Vasquez Rivera directed members of the organization to steal keys from two USPS mail carriers, according to federal authorities.
One postal worker was assaulted and required hospitalization, while a gun was brandished at another carrier.
Vasquez Rivera now faces a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Her sentence will ultimately be determined by the court.