United States Attorney Lawrence Keefe, of the Northern District of Florida, announced last week that Michaelo Moore of Stone Mountain, Georgia, was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison, followed by supervised release, after pleading guilty on June 25, 2020, to conspiracy to commit mail theft and mail theft. The Panama City Police Department arrested Moore on February 19, 2019, after receiving reports that he had attempted to recruit several members of the city’s transient population to help him cash fraudulent checks.
“This individual not only stole from the citizens of our District who were still recovering in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, he then exploited desperate and displaced individuals to help him complete his criminal acts,” said U.S. Attorney Keefe. “Our prosecutors worked hand in hand with our federal and local law enforcement partners to ensure Mr. Moore was held duly accountable for his crimes, and we will continue to prosecute those who attempt to prey on the good people of Northern Florida.”
Moore, 45, was found in possession of three stolen checks when he was stopped by officers of the Panama City Police Department in February 2019. One of the passengers in the vehicle told authorities that Moore and another passenger, Maurice Senior, were in the area for the purpose of stealing checks from the mail and asking transient individuals to cash those checks. The third passenger in the vehicle was a transient individual who admitted he had agreed to cash checks for Moore and his co-conspirator in exchange for money. Senior, 43, of Atlanta, Georgia, whose fingerprints were later discovered on the stolen checks, received a prison sentence of 10 months for mail theft on April 21, 2020.
“The Postal Inspection Service is committed to securing the nation’s mail system, it’s customers, and making sure those responsible with violating the Sanctity of the Seal answer for their crimes,” said Antonio Gomez, Inspector in Charge of the United States Postal Inspection Service, Miami Division.
Assistant United States Attorney Aine Ahmed prosecuted this case following a joint investigation by the United States United States Postal Inspection Service, the Panama City Police Department, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and the Panama City Beach Police Department.
