ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis woman and former U.S. Postal Service admitted to stealing checks from the mail and depositing them in her own account during a federal court hearing Wednesday.

Porcia Rhodes, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of mail theft by a USPS employee. She was originally charged with four counts of bank fraud.

Prosecutors claim Rhodes committed the crimes between July 26, 2022, and Sept. 22, 2022, replacing the payee’s name on the check with her own and depositing the checks with a mobile device.

An indictment alleges Rhodes altered and deposited or attempted to deposit 21 checks totaling more than $5,000. According to her plea agreement, Rhodes said she intercepted a birthday card containing a $500 check that a Troy, Illinois, woman was trying to mail to her grandson in Florida.

Rhodes is expected to be sentenced on Feb. 12, 2024. She could face up to 30 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine on bank fraud charges. The theft charge carries a sentence of up to five years and a $250,000 fine.