Aaron M. Blake, Bank Fraud Conspiracy, Missouri 2024

A Joplin man was sentenced to federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud.

Aaron M. Blake, 28, of Joplin, Missouri, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to three years and seven months in federal prison without parole.

The court also ordered Blake to pay $12,482 in restitution to his victims.

On February 13, 2024, Blake pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, one count of bank fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Co-defendant Emily Anna-Lee Sturgis, 31, pleaded guilty on July 22, 2024, to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud and to one count of bank fraud and awaits sentencing.

Sturgis and Blake admitted they conspired from December 2022 to January 26, 2023, to steal mail out of residential mailboxes and off porches in Joplin. The stolen mail included credit cards, debit cards, checks, cash, jewelry, and documents that contained personal identifying information.

Blake, with the knowledge and assistance of Sturgis, used the stolen personal information to open credit card accounts and bank accounts under those stolen names. He then used these fraudulently created credit and bank accounts to make unlawful purchases.

Sturgis and Blake attempted to obtain at least $13,845 from their victims and did obtain at least $12,482 from their victims.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Clark. It was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Carthage, Mo., Police Department, and the Jasper County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.

Mandatory Facts: Defendant/Respondent: Aaron M. Blake, Exact Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, City and State: Joplin, Missouri, Exact Date: February 13, 2024, Sentence or Outcome: Three years and seven months in federal prison without parole, Dollar amounts: $12,482.

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