ST. LOUIS—Four St. Louis area residents plead guilty to their involvement in a bank fraud scheme that robbed nearly a million dollars from its victims.

What You Need To Know

  • Four people plead guilty and one has already been sentenced in a bank fraud scheme 
  • Between Jan. 2022 and Sept. 2023, Johnathan Barnett, Ryan McKinney and Jayden Burklow stole checks from USPS mail collection boxes and altered them before recruiting others to deposit the checks

  • The trio admit to attempting over $800,000 in fraud by this method

  • Wynter Hinton, now a former USPS employee, sold Barnett a key to USPS mail collection boxes which he then used for criminal activity, per the U.S. Attorney's Office

Johnathan Barnett, 29, of University City, will serve 80 months in prison and is require to pay $44,135 in restitution after United States District Judge Matthew T. Schelp sentenced him on April 15, 2025.

“This sentencing and guilty pleas represent the hard work and dedication by U.S. Postal Service Office Inspector General Special Agents working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to bring charges on this significant mail theft investigation,” said Dennus Bishop, the Special Agent in Charge with USPS OIG. He added that they “along with our law enforcement partners, remain committed to safeguarding the U.S. Mail and ensuring the accountability and integrity of U.S. Postal Service employees.”

Barnett plead guilty in December to three charges: conspiracy to commit bank fraud, possession of stolen mail and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted to working with others between January 2022 and September 2023 to steal checks from the mail and alter the checks to defraud banks.

Wynter Hinton, 29, of St. Ann, plead guilty on April 16, 2025, to unlawful use of a mail key. As a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier, Hinton sold Barnett a key to postal service collection boxes according to a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s office. The federal government lawyers also state Hinton stole checks from the mail while on her postal route.

Barnett admitted with the help of Jayden Burklow, 21, of O’Fallon, and Ryan McKinney, 24, of St. Louis, they used the key to open collection boxes in St. Louis County to steal mail. Barnett, Burklow and McKinney altered checks found in the mail to create counterfeit checks, per press release. It added, they recruited others to allow use of their bank accounts to deposit the fraudulent checks. Conspirators withdrew the money before the banks caught on to the fraudulent checks. The trio admitted attempting to commit at least $800,000 worth of fraud.

As investigators conducted a court-approved search of Barnett’s home on Sept. 15, 2023, Barnett fled through a window with an assault rifle. His rifle resembled an AR-15 but had a high-capacity drum magazine loaded with 76 rounds. The search of his home yielded the discovery of four more firearms and check making equipment. Barnett was previously convicted of charges in 2014 and 2020.

McKinney plead guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud on April 16, 2025. Both McKinney and Hinton are scheduled for sentencing in July.

Burklow, 21, of O’Fallon, Illinois, plead guilty during March to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and also possession of stolen mail. His sentencing is scheduled for June.

“The sentencing in this case illustrates that individuals who engage in mail theft will be held accountable for their actions,” stated Inspector in Charge, Ruth Mendonça, who leads the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office.  “The Inspection Service is proud to work with our local, state and federal partners to bring Mail Theft perpetrators to justice and prevent financial crimes targeting local citizens, postal customers, and financial institutions.” 

Multiple federal and local agencies were involved in the investigation including Creve Coeur Police, University City Police, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Prosecution is being ran by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll.