Southern District of Georgia |  “Modern Bonnie and Clyde” sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for searching bank accounts with stolen mail

STATESBORO, GA: A South Carolina man who described himself and his girlfriend as “modern-day Bonnie and Clyde” has been sentenced to jail after pleading guilty to a scheme in which he used information from stolen mail to stealing or attempting to steal more than a million dollars from multiple victims.

Michael H. Boatwright, 33, of Chesterfield, SC, was sentenced to 150 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit mail, wire and bank fraud, said Jill E. Steinberg, US Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randall Hall also ordered Boatwright to pay the victims $427,131.37 in restitution for actual losses and to be released under supervision for five years after his sentence expired.

Boatwright’s co-defendant Stephanie Michelle Lea Napier, 29, also of Chesterfield, is serving a 28-month sentence on conspiracy to commit wire fraud and must be released under supervision after serving three years of her sentence.

There is no probation in the federal system.

“These thieves didn’t just steal their victims’ mail; they stole their money, their privacy and their sense of security,” said US Attorney Steinberg. “They will now be held accountable for their insidious deeds.”

As described in court documents and proceedings, Boatwright and Napier dubbed themselves “Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde” as they drove through Georgia, South Carolina and Florida to steal mail from mailboxes between approximately November 2020 and June 2021. collect personal identification information from the stolen mail and then use that information to gain access to and control over their victims’ bank accounts.

Using this information, the two stole or attempted to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from victims, including those residing in the Statesboro area, with actual and attempted financial losses in excess of $1.5 million.

“The conviction should serve as a warning to those who intend to steal the US mail and use it for criminal activity,” said Tommy D. Coke, senior inspector for the Atlanta Division of the US Postal Inspection Service. “This is a great example of law enforcement partnerships working across state lines to vigorously investigate and bring justice to mail thieves.”

“As the length of the prison sentence in this case demonstrates, fraud is a vicious crime, especially when it comes to identity theft,” said Craig Reno, resident agent in charge of the US Secret Service’s Savannah Resident Office. “The outcome of this case should serve as a deterrent to those attempting to steal from others and trying to escape the long arm of the law. The Secret Service, along with its law enforcement partners, is committed to holding these criminals accountable for their fraudulent activities.”

The case is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Secret Service offices in Jacksonville, Fla. and Savannah, Georgia with assistance from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office and the Statesboro Police Department for the United States by the Deputy US Attorney Ryan C. Grover prosecuted.