Porcia Denise Rhodes, Bank Fraud and Theft of Mail, Missouri 2024

ST. LOUIS – A brazen scheme to steal checks from the mail has landed a former U.S. Postal Service employee in hot water.

Porcia Denise Rhodes, 27, of St. Louis, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of bank fraud and one count of theft of mail by an employee of the U.S. Postal Service.

As a mail processing clerk at the time, Rhodes admitted stealing about 21 checks, valued at $5,035, before depositing them into her personal bank account.

According to her plea agreement, Rhodes would intercept checks from mail and scratch out the payee’s name, writing in her own before cashing them. In one egregious example, she intercepted a birthday card containing a $500 check meant for a Troy, Illinois woman’s grandson in Florida.

Now facing the music, Rhodes is scheduled to be sentenced February 12, 2024, by U.S. District Court Sarah E. Pitlyk.

The bank fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, while the theft charge is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lane prosecuting the case.

Rhodes’ scheme is a stark reminder of the importance of protecting sensitive information and the consequences of betrayal of public trust.

The investigation and prosecution of this case serve as a warning to those who would seek to exploit their positions of power for personal gain.

A sentencing hearing for Porcia Denise Rhodes is set for February 12, 2024.

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