Stolen checks were being sold out of vehicle stopped in road in Missouri, feds say

After buying stolen checks for $5 to $10 each, a man admitted to reselling those checks for even more, according to federal authorities.

Officers with the St. Louis County Police Department spotted a vehicle in the Spanish Lake area — “stopped in the middle of the road with multiple people standing at the windows” — the evening of April 12, 2022, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.

“After the crowd dispersed and the vehicle drove away, officers stopped the vehicle,” officials said.

The officers found a Country Club Hills man in the backseat with a shoulder bag, authorities said. A gun and stolen checks were found in the bag.

The man told police that he bought those checks, scratched off the writing on the checks and then resold them for $20 to $25 each, according to the news release.

The 19-year-old man pleaded guilty on April 28 to one felony count of possession of stolen mail matter, records show. His defense attorney declined to comment on the allegations on May 1.

Authorities said he admitted having about 179 checks — personal and business ones — all taken from U.S. Postal Service collection boxes.

The man faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, authorities said. His sentencing date is scheduled for July 31.

Country Club Hills is part of the St. Louis metropolitan area.

This story was originally published May 1, 2023 at 9:36 AM with the headline "Stolen checks were being sold out of vehicle stopped in road in Missouri, feds say."