ST. LOUIS – Former U.S. Postal Service employee Wynter Hinton, 29, of St. Ann, was handed a 12-month sentence this week for her role in a multimillion-dollar mail fraud scheme that spanned over a year.
Hinton, along with Ryan McKinney, 25, of St. Louis; Jayden Burklow, 21, of O’Fallon, Illinois; and Johnathan Barnett, 30, of University City, were sentenced for their part in a conspiracy that targeted U.S. Postal Service collection boxes in St. Louis County.
During the scheme from January 2022 to September 2023, Hinton reportedly stole checks from her mail route and sold a key to postal collection boxes to Barnett. The group then pilfered checks from these boxes, altered them, and deposited them into various bank accounts before withdrawing the funds.
Barnett was caught with an AR-15-style rifle and other firearms during a search of his home in September 2023, further implicating him in the scheme. He received an 80-month sentence for conspiracy to commit bank fraud, possession of stolen mail, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and more.
Mkinney was sentenced to 28 months, while Burklow received a 57-month sentence. All defendants were ordered to pay restitution totaling $44,135.
The investigation into the fraudulent scheme was conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and local law enforcement agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll is prosecuting the case.
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Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Public Corruption|Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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