Springfieldian pleads guilty to mail theft, credit card fraud

A Springfield man pleaded guilty late last week to stealing mail and conducting credit card fraud.

Eric Vancil, 46, admitted that between Oct. 23, 2013, and April 28, 2015, he stole mail from at least 55 people in Greene County and elsewhere. Law enforcement investigators found the mail’s contents included checks, credits cards and other identification materials belonging to others, according to a news release from the office of Tammy Dickinson, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

Vancil used found materials in the mail to create or activate card accounts to make purchases.

During the extent of the crime scheme, Vancil had several run-ins with police.

In October 2013, Joplin Police Department officers stopped his Nissan Pathfinder for a traffic violation and found stolen mail bearing several Springfield addresses, including personal checks. They also found a pry bar inside the vehicle that had been used to pry open locked neighborhood delivery collection boxes, according to the release.

Two months later, video surveillance returned photos of a suspect vehicle matching Vancil’s Pathfinder. That February, he was stopped by Springfield Police Department officers, who found drugs, burglary tools, stolen checks and false identification.

Later that February, Vancil used a stolen credit card at several stores in the Battlefield Mall, including at Foot Locker. When he returned to the store the next day to return the merchandise, store employees called the police and delayed Vancil until their arrival. He was detained after a brief foot chase, according to the release.

In January this year, a witness reported a suspect later identified as Vancil stealing from a mailbox. In April, Greene County sheriff’s deputies found his vehicle after another witness reported theft from a mailbox. After an attempt at fleeing, officers found over 100 pieces of mail in the vehicle, as well as checkbooks, credit cards, applications for financial assistance, as well as other information. The received mail contained addresses for 38 victims.

Under federal statutes, Vancil could receive up to 20 years in prison without parole and a fine of up to $500,000. A sentencing hearing will follow the U.S. Probation Office’s presence investigation, according to the release.