SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a seven-count indictment Thursday against Roderick Rigmaiden, 37, and his wife Onjale Nettles, 32, both of Sacramento, charging them with mail fraud and murder. ‘aggravated identity theft,’ US attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. Rigmaiden is also charged with possession of stolen mail and possession of mail keys or locks.

According to court documents, Rigmaiden was in possession of stolen mail and keys or postal locks. From the stolen mail, Rigmaiden and Nettles then created fake ID cards showing the faces of Rigmaiden, Nettles, and other conspirators, but bearing the names and information of individuals whose identities had been stolen. Rigmaiden and Nettles used the stolen identities to purchase multiple vehicles from car dealerships and obtain financing for those purchases. Vehicle purchases were typically made by providing a down payment in the form of cash or an instrument purporting to be a check, cashier’s check, or other monetary instrument, and the remainder of the purchase price was secured by an automobile loan . Typically, however, the monetary instrument presented for the down payment turned out to be fraudulent and no payment was ever made for the car loans.

This case is the product of an investigation by the US Postal Inspection Service and the California Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliot C. Wong is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Rigmaiden and Nettles face a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million for each count of mail fraud and a mandatory two-year sentence consecutive to any sentence imposed. for aggravated identity theft. If convicted, Rigmaiden additionally faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for possession of stolen mail, and a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. for possession of a mail key or lock. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after considering all applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which consider a number of variables. Accusations are only allegations; defendants are presumed innocent until and unless their guilt is proven beyond a reasonable doubt.