Houston, TX. – A retired U.S. Army Veteran is out more than $28,000 after an alleged thief stole his check from a post office mailbox and was able to cash it at a bank.
That was more than two years ago and ever since then, Michael Clark has been on a mission to help authorities catch the culprit.
Two years ago when Clark decided he wanted to buy a house, the retired army major never imagined it would leave him frustrated beyond belief and out more than $28,000.
“The check got stolen. I couldn’t buy the house,” Clark said.
The check was from the U.S. Department of Treasury. Clark borrowed the money from his thrift savings plan, which is like a 401K, to use as a down payment. He then mailed it to his bank.
“I endorsed it and put it for deposit only,” Clark said.
After sending the check out, Clark soon discovered it had been deposited at another bank. So began his two-year mission to solve the mystery of the stolen check. A quest for answers led him to contact close to a half dozen different agencies, including the Postal Inspector and Houston Police.
“I kept calling, emailing, and whatever I could do to try to get somebody to do something. It was exceedingly depressing to know that somebody could take any check and deposit it into their account and you’re out the money. I investigated it myself and found out who it was,” Clark said.
In mid-June, a few days before we sat down for our interview, more than two years after Clark started doing his own research, Clark received a notice from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office regarding his case. It included the suspected thief’s name and a request for documents. Now facing multiple criminal charges, Carlos Grace is due back in court in October.
“I can’t believe he’s stolen this much money and feels like, uh, don’t have to pay it back. I’m Scott-free,” Clark said.
The U.S. Postal Service has reportedly seen an increase in mail theft from it’s blue collection box with more than 25,000 cases reported in just the first half of this year compared to 38,000 in all of 2022. To combat the problem, the USPS and Postal Inspection Service plan to deploy 12,000 high-security collection boxes, which are more difficult to break into, and replace 49,000 older locks that use keys with electronic locks.
“Make sure on checks that you’re depositing, make sure you put the bank account number in there. Don’t sign it,” Clark said.