Georgia Resident Pleads Guilty in Stolen Check-Washing Scheme

Federal prosecutors have secured a guilty plea from a Georgia woman accused of altering hundreds of thousands of dollars in checks stolen from the mail and advertising them for sale on social media.

Mikela Kendrick, 24, of Byron, Georgia, has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud before U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal, says the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.

Kendrick and an accomplice obtained the checks between August 2024 and September 2025 before using chemicals to erase and rewrite payee names and amounts.

She offered the altered checks in bundles of three for $600 each, with every check carrying a face value of at least $10,000.

A search of her home on September 4th, 2025, turned up 112 stolen checks, money orders and cashier’s checks with a combined face value of $395,101 along with supplies used in the washing process.

Says U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes,

“This case marks the second federal prosecution by our office in just a matter of days involving defendants accused of stealing checks from the mail and exploiting hardworking citizens and small businesses for personal gain. Our office remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and prosecute those who prey on the public.”

Investigators from the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and Warner Robins Police Department conducted the probe.

Kendrick faces a maximum of 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a $1 million fine at sentencing.