The FBI and other federal authorities are assisting after Antioch police arrested an identity theft crew overnight that has stolen at least hundreds of pieces of mail in Lake County and other areas.
The Antioch Police Department said they received a report on Friday from a resident in the 400 block of North Avenue in Antioch.
The resident reported they placed a check in the mail for a donation to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
The check was manipulated and deposited into a mobile app account, police said.
The check was believed to have been stolen from the mailbox and forged by the suspect.
Later in the evening, a resident in the Heron Harbor subdivision in Antioch reported seeing an older Dodge Caravan driving around the subdivision and entering residents’ mailboxes, police said.
Around 4 a.m. Saturday, another resident reported seeing the same suspicious vehicle in the 900 block of Woodland Drive.
Responding officers located the vehicle, a blue 2007 Dodge Caravan, and took two suspects into custody, officials said.
Officers located hundreds of pieces of mail and multiple ledgers that contained personal information of residents from Lake County and Rock County, Illinois and Kenosha County, Wisconsin.
Officers also recovered multiple electronic devices.
An investigation is underway and the Antioch Police Department is requesting assistance from federal law enforcement at the United States Postal Inspectors Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Police are asking any residents who have video surveillance during the time frame of 7 p.m. on October 29 until 4 a.m. on October 30 to contact the Antioch Police Department at 847-270-9111.
Any residents who are missing mail or have reviewed their bank statements and identify any forged charges or altered check deposits should also contact police. Detectives can also be reached by email at [email protected] or [email protected].
“Our dispatchers have been instructed to take your information and a detective will follow up with you as soon as possible. We ask for your patience as we continue this investigation,” the department said.