Middlesex Boro Man Part Of Ring That Smashed, Robbed Postal Trucks And Stole Mail, Feds Say

MIDDLESEX, NJ — A Middlesex borough man is one of three men accused of stealing checks out of the mail and robbing U.S. postal trucks across North Jersey last year, said the U.S. Attorney's office.

Aquil Hubbard, 31, with addresses in both Middlesex borough and Newark, Jeffrey Bennett, a/k/a “Bizz,” a/k/a “Riley Smith,” 31, of Irvington and Rahway and Tashon Ragan, a/k/a “Ta,” 26, of Union were each charged this week with conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

Federal prosecutors say that from December 2024 to December 2025, the three men stole mail and packages from U.S. Postal Service mail collection boxes and out of postal vehicles.

They were specifically looking for checks, financial instruments and other items of value, which they lifted from the mail, said prosecutors. The three men would then alter the checks and tried to deposit them at various banks and check-cashing businesses in New Jersey. They also used social media to recruit account holders at various financial institutions.

The FBI said it also connected Bennett, Hubbard and Ragan to a series of smash-and-grab burglaries of U.S. Postal trucks across North Jersey. They either smashed the windows of postal vehicles or opened unlocked vehicle doors and stole trays of mail, often in broad daylight while postal workers were out delivering mail.

All three appeared this week in Newark federal court for their first appearances and were held in jail until further proceedings.