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81 pieces of stolen mail found in South Carolina woman's vehicle

Feb 21, 2012 Karen Umpierre

81 pieces of stolen mail found in South Carolina woman's vehicle
Teresa Miner Grell of Spartanburg, South Carolina, was recently sentenced to 15 months in prison for stealing mail from residents' mailboxes, the Spartanburg Herald-Journal reports.
 Grell had been illegally removing mail in both Spartanburg and Cherokee counties for two months before being caught. It's alleged that she used personal identifiers such as names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers to create checks and drivers licenses with fraudulent identity verification. WSPA-TV reports Grell was able to pass "several thousand dollars" worth of counterfeit or altered checks to banks prior to her arrest. Her downfall came when she was questioned about a check at a First Citizens Bank. Police were notified, and found more than 81 pieces of stolen mail in Grell's car, as well as a computer, check stock and other "counterfeiting implements." In addition, hand-written notes with victims' personal information and checks that had been manipulated by Grell to make them payable to herself were discovered, the Herald-Journal reports.