An FBI agent from Joplin gets three years and seven months in jail for using stolen mail to steal money from banks.
From the US Attorney’s Office we know that Aaron M. Blake, who is 28 years old, pleaded guilty on February 13, 2024 to one count of plot to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, one count of bank fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft.
The 31-year-old Emily Anna-Lee Sturgis, who is also a defendant, pleaded guilty on July 22, 2024, to one count of bank fraud, plot to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, and one count of bank fraud. She is now waiting to be sentenced.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Sturgis and Blake admitted that from December 2022 to January 2023, they planned to steal mail from mailboxes and steps in Joplin.
Stolen mail included:
- Credit Cards
- Debit Cards
- Checks
- Cash
- Jewelry
- Personal Documents
- Names
- Date of Birth
- SSNs
- Bank Account Info
From what the U.S. Attorney’s Office knows, Blake and Sturgis used the stolen information to start bank and credit card accounts in the stolen names.
Sturgis and Blake tried to get at least $13,845 from their victims and were able to get at least $12,482 from them. Blake was told by the court to pay $12,482 to his victims as reparations.
The investigators:
Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Clark is in charge of this case. It was looked into by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the police in Carthage, Missouri, and the sheriff’s office in Jasper County, Missouri.
To see the full release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, click here.