A former mail carrier from Orange County was sentenced to five and a half years in prison for stealing more than $10 million in checks and debit cards from the mail.

Rashad Deon Stolden, 34, of Huntington Beach, was also ordered to pay $1,627,291 in restitution, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Prosecutors say the thefts happened over four years while Stolden worked at a post office in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles.

Stolden and another carrier stole mail containing large value checks, as well as debit cards from the California Employment Development Department, and sold them to co-conspirators.

His partner in the scheme is due to be sentenced on Sept. 14.

See Full Page