Mail Theft and Counterfeit Check Ring Hits Churches, Charities and Schools Across US for a Decade, Two Men Get Over 27 Years Combined in Prison

A mail theft and counterfeit check operation that ran for nearly a decade has hit churches, charities, small businesses and public school systems across the US.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General says Vernon A. McCreath, 39, of Jersey City, New Jersey, and Mikhail C. McCreath, 35, of Miami, Florida, have been sentenced to 192 months and 140 months in federal prison, respectively.

Both men pleaded guilty to taking part in a scheme involving bank fraud, identity theft, mail theft and check counterfeiting.

From September of 2015 through September of 2025, the group stole mail, counterfeited checks and money orders and used stolen identities to open bank accounts.

The conspirators also made forged identification documents and cashed the counterfeit checks at financial institutions across the country, including in southern Alabama.

In April of 2025, agents searched the Atlanta-area home of coconspirator Demetrius J. Manassa and found dozens of stolen and counterfeit checks and money orders, fake IDs, stolen mail, check-making equipment and a loaded Glock pistol.

Fingerprints linked Vernon McCreath to stolen postal money orders found during the search.

Investigators also matched Mikhail McCreath’s fingerprint to an image of a fraudulent deposit of about $1.3 million that was sent over Telegram.

Chief U.S. District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock also ordered the pair to pay $687,259.04 in restitution to victims.

Each man will serve five years of supervised release after prison, with drug testing, financial monitoring and limits on new lines of credit.

Five coconspirators have already been sentenced to between 60 and 180 months in prison, while two others will be sentenced at a later date.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Labor Department’s inspector general investigated the case.