Carl Breneman and Danika Viasana (Photos courtesy Outagamie County Jail)
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Carl Breneman was convicted Monday, four years after he was arrested for stealing hundreds of pieces of mail from homes and businesses.
He will be sentenced May 26.
Breneman, 40, pleaded no contest to five counts of misappropriating identification information to obtain money. More than three dozen other charges were dismissed, but can be considered at sentencing by Judge Mark Schroeder.
As part of the plea deal, prosecutors will ask for three years in prison and three years of extended supervision, while the defense can argue for the sentence it deems appropriate.
Breneman’s co-defendant in the case, Danika Viasana, was sentenced to more than six years in prison for her role in the scheme.
Viasana and Brenemen were arrested during a traffic stop in Buchanan. Deputies say in the vehicle Viasana was driving, they found hundreds of pieces of mail — including two passports, dozens of tax-related documents, packages and personal checks — along with meth and drug paraphernalia.
Deputies then searched a hotel room in Kimberly where the two were living and found more stolen mail.
According to the criminal complaint, several police agencies across the Fox Valley investigated thefts of mail, forgeries and bank frauds from fall 2021 into spring 2022. Investigators found about 500 pieces of mail from more than 200 homes and businesses.
Viasana and Brenemen took the checks and then cashed them, or used the information to open new bank accounts or apply for credit cards. The complaint identifies 15 victims as examples of the allegations against Breneman.
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