Three Springfield men have been indicted by a federal grand jury for a wire fraud conspiracy involving forged and altered checks designed to defraud local businesses.
Martinus Antuan Sayles, 35; his twin brother, Maurice Suton Anton Sayles, aka Ish Washington, 35; and Michael Moody, 18, all of Springfield, were charged in a nine-count indictment returned under seal April 4 and made public yesterday after the arrest and initial court appearance of Moody, according to a news release from the office of the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.
The indictment alleges that between March 31 and Aug. 5, 2011, the three men participated in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The Sayles twins allegedly stole checks from various businesses and individuals, and then altered the checks by cutting out digits from the routing and account numbers and replacing them with other digits by using glue and a hammer, the release said.
From there, the twins, Moody and other unnamed individuals allegedly used the forged and altered checks at retail stores and other businesses in the Springfield area. According to the indictment, the purchased merchandise was later returned for cash. In some cases, the purchase receipts were altered to look as if the purchases had occurred more than 10 days prior to the returns to allegedly circumvent 10-day return policies in place at some stores.
The indictment also alleges that in order to pass the checks, the defendants would sometimes use false identification created by Maurice Sayles using a label maker.
A court filing points to several institutions where money was stolen or an attempt was made. The businesses include:
- Walmart, 2021 E. Independence Road, $205 drawn on a Mid-Missouri Bank account;
- Walmart, 3520 W. Sunshine St., $202 drawn on a Mid-Missouri Bank account;
- All Pet Supplies in Springfield, $116 drawn on a Wells Fargo Bank account in Nebraska;
- Pet Warehouse, 2920 E. Sunshine St., $256 drawn on a Wells Fargo Bank account in Nebraska; and
- Rapid Roberts, 3106 W. Battlefield Road, $40 drawn on a U.S. Bank account, and $95 drawn on a Wells Fargo Bank account in Nebraska.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robyn McKee and was investigated by the Springfield Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service.[[In-content Ad]]
