ST. LOUIS – Four Franklin County men have been indicted on charges accusing them of stealing mail and using stolen checks to commit bank fraud.

Matthew Cahill, 39; Donald Anderson, 35; Harvey Hale, 47; and Joshua Hopkins, 34; all of Franklin County, were each indicted Feb. 21 in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, multiple counts of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Cahill was also indicted on one count of possession of stolen mail. He and Hopkins also face multiple counts of aggravated identity theft.

Hopkins was arrested Wednesday, appeared in court and pleaded not guilty.

Cahill was arrested Feb. 23 and pleaded not guilty.

Hale and Anderson are already in custody but have yet to appear in court.

The indictment alleges that beginning in at least February of 2020, the men obtained checks, bank account information and personal identifying information by stealing incoming or outgoing mail from mailboxes or from homes and vehicles. They would then use that information to alter the stolen checks or create counterfeit checks and use those checks to pay for merchandise at local retailers, the indictment says. They also cashed the checks and on at least one occasion opened a bank account, the indictment says.

Each conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud charge is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both prison and a fine.

The aggravated identity theft charges carry a penalty of two years in prison, consecutive to any other charge, a fine of up $250,000 or both.

The stolen mail charge is punishable by up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.

Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, and the police departments in the cities of Washington, Union, Eureka, St. Clair and St. Charles investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke is prosecuting the case.