Florida Man Admits Stealing Mail from Missouri and Illinois Churches

ST. LOUIS - A man from Florida on Tuesday admitted stealing checks from mailboxes churches in Missouri and Illinois.

Lourdes Mario Anton, 20, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of mail. He admitted that on Oct. 3, 2024, he and a juvenile were caught on video stealing mail from a Missouri church's mailbox. The next day, police spotted the white Toyota minivan Anton was driving and stopped it. Anton allowed officers to search the minivan, which contained a tool they used to steal mail and the receipt for a FedEx package that Anton addressed to himself in Hollywood, Florida. Investigators intercepted the package, which containing 27 checks with a total face value of $14,584 that had been sent to or from religious organizations in eastern Missouri and southern Illinois, including a church in St. Peters, Missouri.

Anton is scheduled to be sentenced March 21, 2025. The mail theft charge 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.