A former mail handler for the U.S. Postal Service in St. Louis pleaded guilty Wednesday to stealing checks from hundreds of pieces of mail and committing pandemic-related fraud.
Anthony Virdure II, 30, admitted to one count of mail theft and one count of wire fraud. Authorities discovered the scheme after postal inspectors were called by Hazelwood Police on December 1, 2023, to review 30 stolen checks found in a rental vehicle. The investigation determined the checks had passed through the St. Louis Processing and Distribution Center at 1720 Market Street, where Virdure was employed and had access to all first-class mail. His fingerprints were located on one check removed from a stolen letter.
Further inquiries took place on January 3, 2024, when Frontenac Police informed postal inspectors about additional checks left behind by a tenant who vacated an apartment in St. Louis. These items also traced back to the same distribution center with Virdure’s fingerprints present on at least one check.
A court-approved search conducted by law enforcement agents on April 30, 2024, resulted in the recovery of another 298 stolen checks inside an apartment; many bore Virdure’s fingerprints. The total value of these stolen checks reached $68,486.
In addition to mail theft, Virdure acknowledged that he fraudulently applied for and received a $20,832 loan under the Pandemic Protection Program (PPP) in 2021 for a business named Virdure Dynamics. He falsely stated he was the sole proprietor and claimed an inaccurate gross income of $100,000.
Virdure faces sentencing on November 30. The wire fraud charge could result in up to twenty years in prison and a $250,000 fine or both; the mail theft charge carries up to five years imprisonment and a similar fine. Restitution will also be required.
The case was investigated by several agencies: U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Frontenac Police Department, and Hazelwood Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll is prosecuting.
