2 LA men plead guilty in $2.7 million stolen checks scheme

LOS ANGELES — Two Los Angeles men pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal criminal charges for defrauding banks and credit unions out of at least $2.7 million by depositing checks stolen from the mail into bank accounts belonging to accomplices they recruited through Instagram.

Carlos Corona, 36, of South Los Angeles, and Jose Luis Edeza Jr., 31, of Sunland, pleaded guilty in downtown Los Angeles to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, according...