4 Detroit man accused of stealing checks from mailboxes, rewriting them to other people
(Photo: Shelby Township Police)
SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) - Four Detroit men allegedly stole checks from mailboxes and then rewrote them to someone else to steal money.
Shelby Township police said the men took checks that were written for several thousand dollars.
The police department worked with the Oakland County Sheriff's Office and Rochester Police Department to locate a suspect vehicle and pull it over in Rochester on May 11. Shelby Township detectives searched the vehicle and found several pieces of mail.
During an investigation that lasted several weeks, police reviewed more than 40,000 text messages from the suspects' cell phones that were seized during the traffic stop. Investigators determined the men, who are between the ages of 25 and 27, were running a criminal enterprise.
(Photo: Shelby Township Police)
The men would take the checks from the mail, "wash" the checks, and rewrite them for someone else before cashing them and keeping the money.
Police have requested arrest warrants from the Macomb County Prosecutors Office.
"Our department made this case a priority, as we do with all cases involving the victimization of our citizens. I commend the hard work of our Detectives involved in this case to be able to identify these four suspects. I also want to thank the Rochester Police Department and the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department for their assistance," said Shelby Township Police Chief Robert Shelide.