St. Louis, MO – A former U.S. Postal Service mail handler was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after a joint investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG) into multiple St. Louis metropolitan area mail theft incidents that occurred in late 2023 through 2024.
Anthony Virdure II, 31, stole hundreds of checks totaling $2.4 million from the U.S. Mail, while working at the St. Louis Main Post Office. The Hazelwood, MO, Police Department notified postal inspectors and USPS OIG special agents in December 2023 that a rental car had been returned with more than 30 stolen checks inside. Postal inspectors and OIG special agents determined the checks had been routed through the Main Post Office. Virdure’s fingerprints were located on at least one of the checks. In January 2024, the Frontenac, MO, Police Department recovered multiple stolen checks from an abandoned apartment that were later linked to Virdure through fingerprint analysis. During an unrelated search warrant operation in April 2024, another 298 stolen checks were recovered by Federal Bureau of Investigation special agents and postal inspectors. These checks, several of which contained Virdure’s fingerprints, had also been routed through the Main Post Office.
Postal inspectors also discovered that Virdure applied for and received a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for $20,832 in April 2021, after he falsely claimed to be the owner of a retail store. On July 30, 2025, Virdure pleaded guilty to one count of mail theft and one count of wire fraud (on the PPP loan) and was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment on November 3, 2025, in the Eastern District of Missouri.
“The sentencing in this case illustrates that individuals who steal mail will be held accountable for their actions,” stated Inspector in Charge Ruth Mendonça, who leads the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes St. Louis. “The Postal Inspection Service is proud to work with our local, state, and federal partners to bring mail theft perpetrators to justice and prevent financial crimes targeting local citizens, postal customers, and financial institutions.”
“This sentencing represents the hard work and dedication by USPS OIG special agents and postal inspectors working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to bring charges on this significant mail theft investigation,” said Special Agent in Charge Dennus Bishop, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Central Area Field Office. “The United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General and the United States Postal Inspection Service, along with our law enforcement partners, remain committed to safeguarding the U.S. Mail and ensuring the accountability and integrity of U.S. Postal Service employees.”
