Georgia Woman Pleads Guilty to Washing Stolen Checks and Advertising Them for Sale on Social Media

Published Nov. 6, 2026. Case status is current as of that date.

A check dropped in a mailbox can be stolen, chemically "washed" to erase the payee and amount, rewritten, and sold. Federal prosecutors in Georgia say one woman advertised altered checks openly on social media. On Nov. 2, 2026, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Georgia announced that Mikela Kendrick, 24, of Byron, Georgia, had pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud [1].

Status: Kendrick has pleaded guilty but has not been sentenced. According to the release, she entered her plea on Oct. 29, 2026, before U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal. She faces up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The sentencing date "will be determined by the court" [1].

What the plea covers

The facts below come from the U.S. Attorney's Office's account of court documents and statements made in court [1].

1. Stolen mail. Kendrick and another individual obtained numerous checks stolen from the mail between August 2024 and September 2025. The other person is not named in the release.
2. "Washing." They allegedly removed and altered information on the checks, including the payee's name and the dollar amount.
3. The sales pitch. Kendrick advertised the stolen, altered checks for sale through her social media account. In one exchange with a prospective buyer, she said she typically sold checks in bundles, offering three checks for $600. Each carried a face value of at least $10,000.
4. The search. A review of images on her account showed checks totaling at least $299,789.57. On Sept. 4, 2025, law enforcement searched her residence and recovered 112 stolen personal and business checks, money orders and cashier's checks, with a total face value of $395,101.43. Individual checks ranged from $5 to $155,408.81.
5. Tools and accounts. Investigators also found blank check stock, bank cards and identification cards bearing different names, plus ink cartridges, cotton swabs with ink stains, antifreeze, water-removal products, printers and computer devices commonly used in check washing.
6. Deposits. During about three weeks in August 2025, at least four stolen and altered checks of $1,000 each, and a $17,550 check that Kendrick altered, were deposited into her checking account.

The checks belonged to various payees and drew on accounts at federally insured and chartered financial institutions. The release names no payees, and neither do we.

"This case marks the second federal prosecution by our office in just a matter of days involving defendants accused of stealing checks from the mail and exploiting hardworking citizens and small businesses for personal gain," said U.S. Attorney William R. "Will" Keyes [1].

Who investigated

The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, the Bibb County Sheriff's Office and the Warner Robins Police Department investigated, with assistance from the Centerville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Howard is prosecuting [1].

Red flags and how check washing hits ordinary people

This is a general warning, not a claim about any victim in this case.

• A check you mailed is cashed for a different amount or to a different payee.
• Your account shows a withdrawal for a check you did not write, or a check number out of sequence.
• A bill or payment you mailed is reported never received.
• Strangers on social media offer to pay you to deposit a check or to "rent" your account. That can make you part of a bank fraud scheme.

What to do

• Check your accounts often and set up bank alerts for large or unusual withdrawals.
• Consider paying by card, bank transfer or online bill pay instead of mailing checks, and use secure drop-off points when you do mail them.
• If a check was stolen or altered, contact your bank immediately and ask about fraud claims and a replacement account.
• Report mail theft to your local police and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and report fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Case status (as of Nov. 6, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status	Source
Mikela Kendrick, 24, Byron, Ga.	U.S. District Court, M.D. Ga. (Judge C. Ashley Royal); docket not stated in release	Pleaded guilty Oct. 29, 2026, to conspiracy to commit bank fraud; maximum 30 years; sentencing date to be set	[1]
Unnamed co-conspirator	Not stated	Not named in release; status unknown	[1]

Statuses can change.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Georgia, "Central Georgian Faces 30 Years in Prison for Stolen Check-Washing Scheme," Nov. 2, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdga/pr/central-georgian-faces-30-years-prison-stolen-check-washing-scheme

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