Springfield twins sentenced for check fraud scheme

Two Springfield men were sentenced last week for their roles in a scheme to steal and alter checks and pass them at retailers in the area.

Maurice Suton Anton Sayles, aka Ish Washington, and his twin brother Martinus Antuan Sayles, both 36, were each sentenced to seven years and one month in federal prison without parole. In addition, Maurice Sayles was ordered to pay $3,303 in restitution, and Martinus Sayles was ordered to pay at least $1,838, according to a news release from the office of Tammy Dickinson, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

The two pleaded guilty last year, with Maurice Sayles admitting he was the leader of the criminal conspiracy that involved at least five participants.

Martinus Sayles was responsible for acquiring stolen checks from an unidentified person in the Kansas City, and both twins then altered the checks by cutting out digits from the routing and account numbers and replacing them with other digits via the use of glue and a hammer. These checks were passed at several retailers in the Springfield area with the help of others the brothers recruited, the release said.

According to Springfield Business Journal archives, businesses where money was stolen or an attempt was made included:

• 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.

To pass the forged checks, the brothers and those they recruited used false identification created using a label maker. Purchased merchandise was returned for a cash refund, and in some cases, the brothers altered the purchase receipts to bypass 10-day return polices at some stores, according to the release.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall Eggert and was investigated by the Springfield Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service.