NEWARK, N.J. – 8/12/26 – Silvia Vasquez Rivera, 29, of Queens, New York, pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit a pattern of racketeering activity that included attempted murder, kidnapping, robbery of United States Postal Service (USPS) mail carriers, and wire fraud in furtherance of a scheme to steal mail, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Vasquez was the leader of a fraud enterprise that used illegally acquired USPS keys to open USPS collection boxes, steal mail, and then deposit or sell stolen checks. Vasquez and other enterprise members conspired to steal mail on at least approximately 100 occasions, and posted for online sale more than 1,400 checks totaling more than $2.8 million.
In May 2023, after Victim-1 unsuccessfully brokered an investment in Victim-1’s luxury car business, Vasquez conspired to kidnap Victim-1, paid a group of masked men to assault Victim-1, took Victim-1 from New York to New Jersey and back, and held Victim-1 for ransom, releasing Victim-1 only after Victim-1’s family and friends made a ransom payment.
In March 2024, after Vasquez was robbed of enterprise proceeds, Vasquez directed other enterprise members to shoot guns into a vehicle in the Bronx, New York, that Vasquez believed contained the person responsible for robbing her.
In August 2024, Vasquez directed other enterprise members to steal keys from two USPS mail carriers. One victim mail carrier was assaulted, requiring hospitalization, and the conspirators brandished a gun at the other victim mail carrier.
The charge of conspiracy to commit a pattern of racketeering activity carries a potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 10, 2026.
U.S. Attorney Frazer credited postal inspectors with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Newark, Philadelphia Division, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Christopher A. Nielsen; the New York Police Department, under the direction of Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch; the NYPD-FBI Metro Safe Streets Task Force, a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to enhance the identification, apprehension, and prosecution of individuals involved in gang-related activities, violent crime, and drug distribution in and around the greater New York City area; and the Englewood Police Department, under the direction of Chief Thomas Greeley.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eli Jacobs of the Criminal Division in Newark.
