Two men from Michigan have been accused of stealing thousands of pieces of mail from people in three southwestern counties, in order to find cash, checks and money orders. Federal documents allege that the pair were operating as a teacher and understudy, with one man teaching the other how to successfully steal mail, and what to look for.
According to the federal indictment, 32-year-old Zachary Stephen Thomas is charged with a number of crimes relating to mail thefts in Allegan, Ottawa and Van Buren counties in Michigan. The indictment charges that the U. S. mail was stolen over a period of five months. Thomas is alleged to have been the tutor in this pair, showing 34-year-old Chad Mitchell Weener how to go about making money by stealing other people’s mail and cashing any checks found.
Thomas would search mail for bank checks
Thomas, a Holland resident, is accused of stealing mail from residents of Allegan, Ottawa and Van Buren counties. In a written statement released to the media, U.S. Attorney Pat Miles, Jr. said that Thomas would search mail for bank checks, credit card convenience checks and other types of checks. Once he found them, he threw away the mail he took them from, along with other mail that he had searched. He then forged the checks, deposited them into his bank account, and made large ATM withdrawals before the bank was able to discover that the checks were forged.
According to the federal criminal indictment, Thomas was arrested while trying to cash a check at a Holland, MI branch of Chase Bank. A teller at the bank reported his check as suspicious and the bank contacted the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department. Investigators searched his backpack and discovered stolen mail, bank account statements and credit card convenience checks belonging to people all over west Michigan. A search of his home revealed more of the same.
After his arrest, Thomas was released on bail. It was only two weeks before a Holland resident reported that he had found his mail box open and missing mail. He was anticipating a specific check, which someone later tried to cash at a local bank. This led investigators right back to Thomas. A second search of his home revealed a fresh batch of stolen mail. He was arrested a second time.
Weener, a South Haven resident who says that he learned all he knows about mail theft from Thomas, is accused of stealing mail in Ottawa County during the month of April. At the time of his alleged mail theft crimes in Ottawa County, Weener was on probation in Van Buren County, MI for a 2015 organized retail fraud conviction.
Thomas was already being investigated when Weener was arrested. A search of his backpack revealed several pieces of stolen mail. Weener has admitted to police that he threw some of the stolen mail into a dumpster behind a gas station in Saugatuck. Investigators searched the area and discovered more than 1,000 pieces of stolen mail in the trash there. They were later identified as belonging to residents of Holland, Michigan.
Thomas has been federally charged with bank fraud, possession of stolen mail, and identity theft. Weener is facing federal charges of mail theft and bank fraud. Both men were arraigned in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan in Grand Rapids. Both were charged with violating federal law. If convicted of these charges, our criminal defense attorneys think they will likely be sentenced to federal prison.