Garbage Bags Full Of Stolen Mail Found In Theft Crew's Apartment: Cops

PALOS HEIGHTS, IL — Three people alleged to be a mail theft crew were arrested after Palos Heights police found thousands of pieces of undelivered mail in one the suspects' apartment, police said.

Kelly Roth, 27, of Palos Heights, Ryan Scanlon, 29, of Chicago Ridge, and 38-year-old Franklin Buttron, of Worth, were each charged with continuing a criminal enterprise and aggravated identity theft, both felonies.

Between December and January, Palos Heights police fielded numerous incidents of mail theft. A suspect was identified during an arrest made by Crestwood police on Jan. 25, which led to the identities of the other crew members involved in the organized crime spree, police said.

The trio was identified as being part of a concerted effort to steal mail throughout the Chicago suburbs, including Bridgeview, Burr Ridge and Lake Forest. Using information from the stolen mail, the purported crew would steal victims' identities to forge and wash checks before depositing them at various banking institutions. Officers also found a makeshift mailbox key for post office boxes.

“Anything they could come across they used to turn a profit,” said Deputy Chief Mike Yott, of the Palos Heights Police Department. “They’d use a victim’s identity to open a credit card or if they found a debit/credit card they’d use to make purchases at multiple retail stores.”

Yott said Palos Heights officers hand-delivered undelivered mail back to its owners.

"It took us days to photograph it and process it," Yott added. "What we don't know is what we didn't get."

The morning of Jan. 30, police said Roth and Scanlon were taken into custody. Officers said they recovered garbage bags full of stolen, undelivered mail in Roth’s apartment and in the pair’s vehicles. Buttron was taken into custody at his mobile home the next day at his mobile home in Worth.

All three allegedly confessed to their role in the criminal enterprise and were released without being charged the dates of their arrest, pending further evidence. The trio was charged Feb. 23, cited and released.

Scanlon, Roth and Buttron are due back in court Feb. 26 in Bridgeview.

If you believe your mail was stolen in December or January, contact the Palos Heights Police Department at 708-448-5060.