A Florida man has been indicted on charges related to the theft of checks from churches in Missouri and Illinois. Lourdes Mario Anton, 20, faces two counts of theft of or receipt of stolen mail, following his indictment in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Wednesday.
According to the indictment, Anton allegedly stole an envelope containing a check from a church in O’Fallon, Missouri, and another check from a church in St. Peters, both on October 2. Authorities believe Anton used a specialized tool to remove at least 28 checks from mailboxes at six different churches.
A motion filed in the case seeks to have Anton held in custody until trial. It claims that after police spotted him, they discovered a FedEx receipt, which led to the interception of a package containing stolen checks Anton had attempted to send to himself in Florida. The motion further notes that Anton, who identified himself as being from Romania, had an expired employment authorization card that listed his birthplace as France. He also claimed to be earning $3,000 a month as an altar boy in Hollywood, Florida.
If convicted, Anton could face up to five years in prison for each mail theft charge, along with a potential $250,000 fine, or both. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the St. Charles County Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll is leading the prosecution.
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