A St. Louis postal worker is facing charges for stealing checks from the mail and committing wire fraud. On Wednesday, the District Court indicted 29-year-old Anthony Virdure II on three counts of mail theft and one count of wire fraud. These charges are linked to his work at the Postal Service Processing and Distribution Center at 1720 Market Street, where he allegedly stole checks worth over $1.5 million, according to the United States Attorney's Office.
The charges also claim that Virdure improperly applied for a Pandemic Protection Program loan, receiving $20,832 by lying about his tobacco store, Virdure Dynamics. He used his grandmother's house address for the application and submitted a fake IRS Schedule C as proof of the business's income. While the loan was meant to provide relief during the pandemic, it was allegedly used for Virdure's fraud—according to a statement obtained by the United States Attorney's Office.
While the charges indicate serious legal challenges ahead, it's important to remember that these are only formal accusations, and Virdure is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If found guilty, he could face up to 20 years for the wire fraud charge and five years for each count of mail theft, along with potential fines of up to $250,000 for each offense, as mentioned by the United States Attorney's Office.
The case is currently being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll. The alleged crimes were uncovered by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, leading to Virdure's charges. For further inquiries about the case, contact Robert Patrick, a Public Affairs Officer, at [email protected].
