A Republic, Mo., man and an Ava, Mo., woman were sentenced in federal court today for their roles in a conspiracy to cash checks that were stolen from mailboxes.
D.J. Gideon, 26, of Republic, and Katelyn Elizabeth Emrick, 22, of Ava, were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark. Gideon was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison without parole. Emrick was sentenced to six years and three months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Gideon and Emrick to pay $23,945 in restitution, for which they are jointly and severally liable.
Gideon and Emrick engaged in a mail theft and bank fraud scheme that, over five months, victimized 15 households, 24 businesses, 16 financial institutions, a church and a charity organization across three states. Additionally, they engaged in high-speed police chases, including one in which they injured a law enforcement officer.
Gideon and Emrick each pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to commit bank fraud from June 18 to Nov. 6, 2015. They each also pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Gideon and Emrick attempted to obtain approximately $40,535 from victims’ bank accounts by stealing checks from business and residential mailboxes and unlawfully using their victims’ personal identification information to cash or deposit the stolen checks, or use them to make purchases. Gideon and Emrick actually cashed and deposited nine fraudulent checks totaling $6,120. They purchased approximately $17,322 worth of merchandise and goods with 38 fraudulent checks.
Checks were stolen from the mailboxes of the Springfield Muscular Dystrophy Association, two businesses in Greene and Wright County, and a number of individuals. One of the stolen checks was from a West Plains, Mo., church. Some of the stolen checks were blank checks that were mailed to bank account holders, and some of the checks were written to other individuals or organizations. Gideon and Emrick altered the payee and the amounts payable on the checks and forged the signatures of their victims.
On Oct. 7, 2015, Gideon and Emrick stole a check in Wright County, Mo., and altered it to be payable to Casey’s General Store in the amount of $47.44, which they presented to the Casey’s store in Seymour, Mo. Store employees recognized Gideon and called the police. Officers arrived at the store as Gideon was walking out. Police Chief Ron Wright instructed Gideon to “come here,” but Gideon instead ran to his vehicle (a Dodge Grand Caravan). Gideon got into the driver’s seat and Chief Wright reached into the window and grabbed his arm in an attempt to take custody of him. Gideon put the van in drive and accelerated, pulling Chief Wright a few feet before he was able to pull his arms out of the window. Chief Wright recognized Emrick in the passenger seat of the van.
Gideon’s van sped out of the parking lot with its tires squealing and officers pursued them. Several vehicles in and around the entrance to Casey’s had to take evasive action to avoid being struck by Gideon’s van. Gideon ran a red light, fled west bound and escaped the pursuit of the officers. Chief Wright sustained bruising and swelling to his right arm and a back strain from being pulled by the van.
On Oct. 27, 2015, Gideon and Emrick attempted to cash a check at the drive-through of American Bank in Baxter Springs, Kan. Bank employees called the police. When officers arrived, the van accelerated out of the bank drive thru and an officer activated the emergency lights and siren of his patrol vehicle. Gideon and Emrick continued to flee, driving in the middle turn lane of a street and reaching speeds of over 80 miles per hour on a 35-miles-per-hour street. The officer pursued them into Oklahoma, where the pursuit was taken over by Oklahoma law enforcement at the Quapaw city limits.
The pursuit continued into Oklahoma and then crossed back over into Kansas, where Baxter Springs officers resumed their pursuit. While in Kansas, Gideon drove the van off the road and abandoned it on foot. During the pursuit, the van caught on fire and was on fire when Gideon abandoned it. Officers arrested Emrick but Gideon escaped.
During the pursuit, Gideon and Emrick threw several pieces of mail out of their vehicle’s window. That mail was recovered by officers, as well as stolen mail, checkbooks and checks, and receipts found inside the van.
Gideon was arrested on Nov. 6, 2015, after unsuccessfully attempting to pass a stolen check at the Orscheln’s Farm & Home in Marshfield, Mo. Marshfield police officers found Gideon in a men’s bathroom stall of a nearby McDonald’s restaurant. He was holding a paper bag that contained a check book and other items related to the mail theft from two victims in Oklahoma.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Clark. It was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the Missouri State Highway Patrol; the police departments of Aurora, Marshfield, Seymour, Springfield and West Plains, Mo., Baxter Springs, Kan., and Quapaw,Okla.; and the sheriff’s departments of Christian, Greene, Howell and Stone County in Missouri, Cherokee County, Kan., and Ottawa County, Okla.
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