Florida Man Accused of Stealing Mail from Missouri and Illinois Churches

ST. LOUIS - A man from Florida has been indicted and accused of stealing checks from churches in Missouri and Illinois.

Lourdes Mario Anton, 20, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Wednesday on two counts of theft of or receipt of stolen mail. The indictment accuses Anton of stealing an envelope containing a check from a church in O'Fallon, Missouri on October 2 and another check from a St. Peters church the same day.

A motion seeking to have Anton held in jail until trial alleges that he stole at least 28 checks from mailboxes at six different churches using a specialized tool. After police spotted Anton, they found a FedEx receipt that led to the interception of a package containing stolen checks that Anton tried to send to himself in Florida, the motion says. Anton, who told a U.S. Postal Inspection Service special agent that he is from Romania, had an expired employment authorization card listing his birthplace as France, the motion says. Anton claimed that he was being paid $3,000 per month to be an altar boy in Hollywood, Florida, the motion says.

Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Each mail theft charge Anton faces carries a potential penalty of up to 5 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the St. Charles County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll is prosecuting the case.