Elijah Briggs, 42, has pleaded guilty to federal charges related to the theft of mail, checks, and other personal information, in a shocking case of bank fraud that has left dozens of victims in its wake.
Briggs, along with three other defendants from Warren County, Missouri, including Jessica Kirkpatrick, 44, Reuben Kim, 36, and Holly Naylor, 41, pleaded guilty to various counts of bank fraud. Briggs himself pleaded guilty to three counts of bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
The investigation revealed that Briggs had been stealing U.S. mail from mailboxes and blank checks from homes while working as a contractor. In 2019, he accessed a couple’s online bank account and transferred money to a PayPal account and accounts in the names of other victims of identity theft. He also stole a check from the couple’s neighbor’s mailbox and deposited the altered check, causing a loss of $1,264.
Further investigation found that Briggs was in possession of stolen mail belonging to dozens of people, more than 30 stolen debit or credit cards, and over 100 checks in the names of other people. The total dollar amount on the stolen or fraudulent checks was $116,279. Briggs also had a notebook containing the names and personally identifiable information of several other people.
In 2021, Briggs stole and used a credit card from the home of his employer’s client, and then tried to cash his payroll check multiple times. He also created fraudulent checks that were deposited by Kirkpatrick, Naylor, and Kim. His laptop contained images of fraudulent checks totaling $35,098. In October of 2021, St. Charles Police Department officers stopped Briggs and found drugs, blank check paper, and stolen or fraudulent checks totaling $40,423.
Kirkpatrick, Naylor, and Kim admitted to cashing fraudulent checks created by Briggs. The guilty pleas have significant implications, as bank fraud is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine, or both prison and a fine. Each aggravated identity theft charge is punishable by two years in prison, consecutive to any other charge.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Warren County Sheriff’s Department, the St. Charles Police Department, the St. Peters Police Department, and the Wentzville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke prosecuted the case, bringing the perpetrators to justice and providing some measure of closure for the victims of these crimes.
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Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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