YAVAPAI COUNTY, AZ (AZFamily) — Two men from California are facing charges in a complex check forgery operation across central and northern Arizona.

The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) said Francisco Hernandez, 28, and Raul Rodriguez, 38, were arrested and charged with fraudulent schemes and several counts of theft and forgery.

YCSO said its investigation began when residents of Verde Valley and northern Arizona reported their outgoing mail had been stolen in recent weeks. Many pieces of stolen mail consisted of checks written to pay bills.

Investigators from YCSO and the U.S. Postal Service found that the suspects used a “sticky rod” to collect mail from blue USPS collection boxes. The suspects “washed” the stolen checks with chemicals to erase the written ink and forge new pay

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