INDIANAPOLIS — Two Indianapolis residents have been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to stealing the identities of around 50 people in Indianapolis and Fishers through the U.S. Postal Service.

According to a news release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana, 31-year-old Robenson Fenelon was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, theft of stolen mail and aggravated identity theft. The release also said that 30-year-old Squille Traxler was also sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of theft of stolen mail.

Fenelon and Traxler were also sentenced to probation after their federal prison sentence, officials said in the release. They are also required to pay $244,222.93 in restitution.

From January 2019 through December 2020, Fenelon and Traxler helped steal the identities of at least 50 victims in Fishers and Indianapolis while Traxler was an employee with the U.S .Postal Service. Through this, they used the information to defraud financial institutions of $244,222.93.

The release said that they used Traxler’s mail access to identify information, including names, dates of birth, social security numbers, addresses, phone numbers and bank account information, to take over bank accounts or open new accounts in the victims’ names.

Fenelon and Traxler used debit and credit cards to withdraw cash and make personal purchases. Officials said they also stole mailed checks and deposited them into the bank accounts they controlled.

“Fraud schemes using stolen mail cause significant hardship to innocent victims and undermine trust in a vital government service,” United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana Zachary A. Myers said in the release. “Fraudsters must be held accountable, especially those criminals who abuse the public’s trust in service of their own greed. We will continue to work diligently with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General to ensure that those who steal from the public pay a significant price.”