A former supervisor at the St. Louis Processing and Distribution Center has admitted she turned the mailstream into her personal jackpot. On Monday, Benita D. Randle pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing checks from the mail, after prosecutors said she lifted 89 checks in September and October 2023. Investigators also recovered a counterfeit check tied to the scheme, and the 90 checks carried a combined face value of $369,248. Her plea is the latest in a string of federal cases targeting organized mail-theft operations in the St. Louis area.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, the 43-year-old Randle pleaded guilty to one count of theft of mail by a U.S. Postal Service employee. Prosecutors say she passed stolen mail containing checks to 26-year-old John W. Harrison of Black Jack, who opened the envelopes and removed the checks. Harrison has already pleaded guilty to possession of stolen mail matter and is set to be sentenced on June 3. Randle is scheduled to face sentencing on August 20.
How investigators say it unraveled
Federal agents did not stumble on the scheme at a mailbox. Instead, it surfaced when Randle’s leased Nissan Juke was repossessed for failure to maintain insurance, and dealership workers found a backpack inside that belonged to Harrison. According to First Alert 4, that bag contained an AR-style rifle, cocaine, fentanyl and loose checks. Investigators also discovered a counterfeit check that carried the same account and payor information as one of the stolen checks and went on to identify dozens of victims whose mail had been taken.
Part of a wider mail-theft crackdown
Court filings show Randle’s case is not a one-off. It follows a series of prosecutions focused on check theft and blue-collection-box break-ins across the region. In April, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced a multi-defendant case that tied more than $2 million in checks to a broader enforcement push involving postal inspectors and local law enforcement.
Randle faces a potential sentence of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Harrison faces similar maximum penalties when he is sentenced. Prosecutors are working to identify and notify victims, and they note that the actual financial damage may differ from the face value of the seized checks, depending on which ones were altered or successfully cashed.
What victims should do
Anyone who thinks they might have been hit by this kind of mail theft is urged to contact their bank and report it to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The agency offers an online reporting tool and a hotline for mail-related crimes at 1-877-876-2455. Through its Project Safe Delivery initiative, the Postal Inspection Service has boosted investigative resources and rewards in mail-theft cases, and victims are advised to keep a close eye on their credit reports and consider placing fraud alerts with the major credit bureaus. For step-by-step reporting guidance and victim resources, visit the United States Postal Inspection Service.
