Secret Service Arrests 4 in Missouri for Mail Check Thefts

Many don't understand how much serious trouble you can get in by messing with someone else's mailbox. 4 in Missouri just learned that lesson the hard way after they were busted by investigators including the Secret Service for stealing checks out of mailboxes and perpetrating a counterfeit check scheme totaling more than $30,000.

My dad worked for the postal service in Missouri for more than 30 years. He helped me understand at a young age that you don't touch other people's mail, not even as a joke. The US Postal Inspector would agree and just shared news of 4 that were prosecuted for this crime in Missouri. According to a press release by the United States Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Missouri, 4 individuals in Missouri have been sentenced for a scheme where they would steal incoming and outgoing mail and then use information on checks they found to create counterfeit checks. Here are the villains:

• Matthew Cahill, 41 - Guilty to 1 count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and 4 counts of bank fraud
• Donald Anderson, 36 - Guilty to 1 count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, 3 counts of bank fraud
• Joshua Hopkins, 36 - Guilty to 2 counts of bank fraud and 2 counts of aggravated identity theft
• Harvey Hale, 48 - Guilty to 1 count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and 2 counts of bank fraud

All have received varying terms of restitution costs to repay and prison terms. This case was investigated by a multitude of agencies including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, and the police departments in the cities of Washington, Union, Eureka, St. Clair and St. Charles.