Joplin woman sentenced to time served for bank fraud, attempt to commit mail fraud

Emily Anna-Lee Sturgis, 31, Joplin, was sentenced to time served for bank fraud and attempt to commit mail fraud during a hearing this morning in U. S. District Court in Springfield.

Sturgis will be on supervised probation for five years and be required to make $12,482.15 in restitution.

As a result of a plea agreement, the government dismissed two other counts of bank fraud, three counts of stealing mail and a single count of conspiracy to defraud the United States.

Sturgis' partner in the crimes, Aaron M. Blake, 28, Joplin, was sentenced to three years and seven months without parole and has to pay $12,482 in restitution.

The crimes committed by Sturgis and Blake were detailed in a September 30 news release from the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

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.