ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis woman and former U.S. Postal Service employee was indicted last month for allegedly stealing checks from the mail and depositing them in her own account.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Porcia Rhodes, 26, was charged with four counts of bank fraud and one count of mail theft by a USPS employee.
Rhodes appeared in federal court on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty.
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 deposited the checks with a mobile device.
The indictment alleges Rhodes altered and deposited or attempted to deposit 21 checks totaling $5,035.
If convicted, Rhodes faces up to 30 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine on the bank fraud charges. The theft charge carries a sentence of up to five years and a $250,000 fine.
