Two men arrested in Columbia in connection with nationwide identity theft scheme
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Two men have been arrested and charged in connection with a nationwide forgery and identity theft scheme, according to court documents and a press release from the Columbia Police Department.
Lionel Monsanto, 26, and Salvador Ocasio, 55, were each charged in Boone County with trafficking in stolen identities, identity theft and three counts of forgery. They are both being held at the Boone County Jail without bond.
Casenet lists Columbia as Monsanto’s address, but court documents and jail records indicate his address is in Pennsylvania. Ocasio is from Bronx, New York.
Court documents say that Columbia police were notified on Thursday from a USPS inspector about frauds that occurred at St. Louis-area post offices committed by men driving in a Chevrolet Malibu with Illinois license plates.
The inspector allegedly said that the men were trying to cash fraudulent US Treasury checks, the statement says. A license plate reader on Thursday found the vehicle heading west on Interstate 70 in Callaway County, the statement says.
Court documents say that Ocasio allegedly went to the post office location at the Columbia Mall around 10 a.m. to cash a fraudulent treasury check. The USPS employee allegedly told police that they were also notified about fraud attempts and that employee felt the US Treasury check was fake, the statement says. Ocasio allegedly left in a Chevrolet Malibu.
Columbia police stopped the vehicle on East Nifong Boulevard near State Farm Parkway, the statement says. Monsanto was driving the vehicle and Ocasio was in the passenger seat, the statement says.
Police allegedly found a US Treasury check with the name Flynn Matthews for $1,188.87 along with an ID that had the same name and Ocasio’s photo, court documents say. In the vehicle, police eventually found IDs from 10 different states that included different names – that corresponded with a check – that had Ocasio’s photo, the statement says.
The USPS employed identified Ocasio as the man who walked into the post office with the fake check earlier, court documents say.
Court filings show an initial court appearance was held on Friday. Ocasio’s case shows that he appeared by video from the jail and that a confined docket hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday and a preliminary hearing is set for 9 a.m. Thursday, June 5.
