photo credit: Jason Raff // Shutterstock

A man in New York has been arrested for allegedly stealing 9 coronavirus stimulus checks, totaling to around $12,000.

Police caught Feng Chen, 31, looking inside of mailboxes in a Brooklyn neighborhood, according to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. He was also seen looking searching through mail of a medical-collection bin left at a door, then was seen leaving a different building with items from mailboxes.

When spotted by police, Chen “tossed the mail on the sidewalk.” When police got to him, he had more than $12,000, credit cards, opened envelopes and letters with the names of various people and mailing addresses.

Eastern District Attorney Richard Donoghue said this about Chen’s arrest:

“For many families, these stimulus checks are a lifeline in these difficult times and anyone who tries to cut that lifeline will face the full weight of the law. This Office will vigorously prosecute all those who seek to take advantage of the public health crisis.”

Source: NBS News