Larissa Brady, Mail Theft, Passing Forged Checks, Missouri 2015

A Joplin couple was behind bars after pleading guilty to stealing mail and passing forged checks, prosecutors said.

Larissa A. Brady, 32, and her boyfriend, Sheldon Michael Hunt, 32, both of Joplin, pleaded guilty to possessing stolen mail and passing forged checks in federal court. Brady pleaded guilty on December 15, 2015, while Hunt pleaded guilty on December 8, 2015.

Brady admitted to driving around southwest Missouri between March and June 2015, stealing mail from the mail boxes of businesses and residences to obtain personal information and checks. She had written between $30,000 and $40,000 in stolen checks, which she cashed at various businesses, including Wal-Mart, in order to purchase items that would later be returned to obtain a cash refund.

Brady was confronted by law enforcement officers at a Joplin Wal-Mart store on June 8, 2015, after she attempted to make an $850 purchase using two different forged checks, which was denied, then returned later the same afternoon to make the same purchase using another forged check. Officers recovered numerous stolen checks, Missouri driver’s licenses, a Social Security card, and other forms of identification belonging to other individuals from Brady’s purse.

Hunt admitted that he was aware Brady was using stolen checks that she would forge and use to make purchases of merchandise so the items could be returned for cash. Hunt admitted that he was involved in stealing mail at various locations in Newton and Jasper Counties, Mo. He had not passed any of the stolen checks, but was well aware of Brady’s actions in passing the checks that he helped steal.

Under federal statutes, Brady and Hunt are each subject to a sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $500,000. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

These cases were being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. They were investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Joplin, Mo., Police Department.

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