BUFFALO, N.Y. — Two men responsible for stealing more than $25,000 from some 28 people by fraudulently stealing and cashing mailed checks pleaded guilty Thursday.

Jeffery Watkins Jr., 29, and his cousin, Andrea DeBerry, used Watkins' mail route to access the checks, which were stolen over a six-month period.

Watkins Jr. pleaded guilty to six different charges, including identity theft, criminal possession of a forged instrument and scheme to defraud. DeBerry also pleaded guilty to scheme to defraud. They used her bank account to deposit and cash the stolen checks.

The operation came to light when one victims was forced out of her apartment after she couldn't pay her rent because she never got a refund check she was expecting.

"Her landlord evicted her because she couldn't pay the rent and she told the landlord, hey I'm waiting on a check from ECC can you give me a break," said Erie County District Attorney John Flynn. When the landlord forced her to move, the woman called ECC to ask about the status of her check and was informed it had been cashed. 

"That's how this whole thing got uncovered," Flynn said.

Jeffery Watkins Sr., who is also allegedly involved, is also expected to be in court on Thursday.

Watkins Jr. faces up to 42 years in prison. Both he and DeBerry are expended to be back in court for sentencing in September.

In a statement, the United States Postal Service of Western New York Districts said, "The Postal Service condemns, in the strongest possible sense, behavior that jeopardizes the security and sanctity of the U.S. Mail or threatens to tarnish the reputation and high level of trust that the vast majority of our employees work so hard to uphold."

District Attorney Flynn thanked the USPS and Cheektowaga Police for their assistance in the case.