Philadelphia man convicted for his role in a $2 million theft

Date: Oct. 16, 2026

Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov

Camden, NJ – A Philadelphia man was convicted on Oct. 15, 2026, for his role in stealing $2 million from a Glassboro business and laundering the proceeds of his theft, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.

Ruben Cruz of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Davenport, Florida, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to transport stolen property across state lines, one count of interstate transportation of stolen property, one count of conspiracy to launder money, and seven counts of money laundering. Cruz was convicted following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Christine P. O’Hearn in Camden federal court. Sentencing is set for Feb. 24, 2027.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial:

Over the 2021 July 4 holiday weekend, Cruz and co-conspirator Ricky Rivas-Ortiz burglarized a Glassboro business, stealing a safe that contained more than $2 million in money orders and cash and taking it to Philadelphia. After the burglary, Cruz and another co-conspirator negotiated money orders from the stolen safe in a manner designed to conceal that they were stolen. One method they used to launder the proceeds was altering the stolen money orders and depositing them in piecemeal fashion. For example, Cruz deposited some of the stolen money orders on the same day at different banks that were next door to each other and deposited other stolen money orders at the same bank branch over several consecutive days.

Rivas-Ortiz previously pleaded guilty to an information charging him with transporting stolen property interstate and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Christine P. O’Hearn to 21 months’ imprisonment.

For Cruz, the count of conspiracy to transport stolen property interstate carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross loss to the victim or gain to the defendant, whichever is greatest. The count of interstate transportation of stolen property carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross loss to the victim or gain to the defendant, whichever is greatest. The count of conspiracy to launder money and each money laundering count carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000, or twice the value of the laundered money, whichever is greatest.

U.S. Attorney Frazer credited agents of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan and postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Philadelphia Division, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Christopher A. Nielsen, with the investigation leading to the convictions. He also thanked the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Andrew B. Johns, and the Elk Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief Lance Hitzelberger, for their valuable assistance in the case.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Bender and Joseph McFarlane of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.

IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 16 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.