Edison Pena-Roman, of Allentown (Credit: Hilltown Township Police)
Edison Pena-Roman, of Allentown, heads to Montgomery County court on 10 felonies.
An Allentown man initially charged by Hilltown Police with 25 felonies related to the theft of $22,295 in business checks from companies across four counties had 15 felonies withdrawn and the remaining 10 held for Montgomery County Common Pleas Court earlier this month.
Five counts each of access device fraud, receiving stolen property and criminal use of a communication device were withdrawn at the Dec. 17 preliminary hearing against Edison Pena-Roman, 45. However, he will be arraigned in January on five counts each of forgery and theft of mail, per court records.
Pena-Roman allegedly stole the checks while working for a mail delivery company, authorities said. Theft thefts affected businesses in Bucks, Lehigh, Montgomery and Northampton counties, including Nyce Crete & Landis Block in Hilltown Township.
In February 2024, Hilltown Township Police reported that a business check was stolen out of the mail system and deposited into the bank account of an unknown person, police said.
According to the affidavit, the company mailed a check to a vendor to pay for two invoices, but the check never made it to the vendor.
An investigation uncovered Roman-Pena was employed by a transportation company located in Bath, PA that delivered mail to and from various post offices, police said.
During his employment, Pena-Roman would allegedly steal numerous business checks from the mail and then deposit them into his own bank account through a mobile app or at an Allentown ATM.
Police said a search warrant on Pena-Roman’s Well Fargo Bank records showed the stolen Nyce Crete & Landis Block check, as well as 31 other checks stolen out of the mail system, fraudulently endorsed by Pena-Roman, and deposited into his account.
All in all, authorities allege Pena-Roman stole $22,295.67 in funds from businesses in five counties.
Affected businesses include Lincoln Fire Co. in Ephrata, where an $805 check was stolen; Perkiomen Valley Printing in East Greenville, where a $60 check was stolen; Walter Brucker & Co. in Ottsville, in which a $2,026 check was stolen; and Armen Chevrolet in Ardmore, in which a $966 check was stolen.
Police issued an arrest warrant in September and he was arrested by Pennsylvania State Police in Lehigh County on Oct. 12, police said. Hilltown Township Police took custody of Pena-Roman on Oct. 15.
Pena-Roman is free on 10% of $20,000 cash bail.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
