Joplin man sentenced for mail theft, bank and wire fraud

(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri)

A Joplin, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for stealing mail from Joplin residents as part of a conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud.

Aaron M. Blake, 28, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to three years and seven months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Blake to pay $12,482 in restitution to his victims.

On Feb. 13, 2024, Blake pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, one count of bank fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Co-defendant Emily Anna-Lee Sturgis, 31, pleaded guilty on July 22, 2024, to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud and to one count of bank fraud and awaits sentencing.

Sturgis and Blake admitted they conspired from December 2022 to Jan. 26, 2023, to steal mail out of residential mailboxes and off porches in Joplin. The stolen mail included credit cards, debit cards, checks, cash, jewelry, and documents that contained personal identifying information (such as names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and bank account information). They stole Pandora jewelry from one victim’s mailbox, and a Christmas card that contained a $500 check from another victim’s mailbox. They used the stolen credit cards to unlawfully make purchases.

Blake, with the knowledge and assistance of Sturgis, used the stolen personal information to open credit card accounts and bank accounts under those stolen names. He then used these fraudulently created credit and bank accounts to make unlawful purchases.

Sturgis and Blake attempted to obtain at least $13,845 from their victims and did obtain at least $12,482 from their victims.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Clark. It was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Carthage, Mo., Police Department and the Jasper County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.