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Chubbuck woman indicted in postal scam By John O'Connell - Journal Writer CHUBBUCK - A woman identified as from Chubbuck was indicted by a Los Angeles federal grand jury Friday for allegedly participating in the largest scheme in history to defraud the U.S. Postal Service. Local and federal authorities are now searching for Rebecca Looman Peck, 34, of Chubbuck, who was charged with bank fraud and conspiracy. Authorities could not specify an address for her in Chubbuck. Peck and five other suspects accused in the scam allegedly defrauded post offices in California, Oregon, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada and Arizona of $1.6 million. The suspects purchased postage stamps with fraudulent checks and sold the stamps at a discount to pawn shops, said Mike McCarthy, a postal inspector with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the law enforcement branch of the Postal Service. "We wanted to get the word out because we thought maybe she was up there (in the Pocatello area)," McCarthy said. If convicted, Peck and other suspects could face up to 30 years in prison and $1 million fines. "I haven't seen anything like this in my 13 years," McCarthy said. "This is a case that had been worked over a period of time. Because the Postal Service is the victim, we give it a high priority because our role as inspectors is to protect the safety and security of the U.S. mail." McCarthy said Peck allegedly bought stamps with $5,000 in fraudulent checks. "They were creating their own checks drawn on business accounts," McCarthy said. Also charged with bank fraud and conspiracy were: Alnardo Burgos, 40, of Los Angeles; Martin Segal, 49, of Los Angeles; Scott West, 39, of Marina del Rey, Calif., and Sharon Louise Falzone, 47, of Sylmar, Calif. Burgos, Segal and Falzone remained at large along with Peck Monday night. West is in custody at Tehachapi State Prison in Tehachapi, Calif. He had his parole for identity theft, credit card fraud and burglary revoked several months ago after postal inspectors arrested him in another identity theft case. Another suspect, Darrel John LaChapelle, 48, of Pasadena, was charged with nine counts of bank fraud, five counts of money laundering, conspiracy and witness tampering. McCarthy said postal inspectors arrested LaChapelle in November as he was being released from the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo, Calif. LaChapelle was denied bail and remains in custody at Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. McCarthy didn't know how Peck knew the other suspects. According to the indictment, the scheme began in May 1999 and continued until last February. A search warrant was executed a few months ago at a Pasadena residence in connection with the case, McCarthy said. Private couriers were also hired to purchase stamps with counterfeit checks and give them to the defendants, McCarthy said. McCarthy said there is no evidence to show Idaho post offices were targeted, but the investigation continues, and additional charges could be forthcoming. When companies go out of business, McCarthy said they sometimes sell stamps they bought in bulk at a discount, McCarthy said. He said one Thousand Oaks, Calif., pawn shop, Continental Coin, was implicated in the case but went out of business as a result of unrelated charges. If you have information Anyone with information about Rebecca Looman Peck's whereabouts should call Pocatello police detectives at 234-6121. John O'Connell covers Pocatello city government and environmental issues for the Journal. He can be reached by calling 239-3128 or by e-mail at joconnell@journalnet.com.
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