Sheriff's office has suspects in Rist Canyon, Stove Prairie mail thefts

Larimer County Sheriff’s Office investigators have solved yet another series of mail thefts and subsequent identity thefts. These cases are separate from the successful joint operation on March 1 that led to the arrest of eight suspects and warrants for another four throughout Larimer and Weld counties.

Larimer County Sheriff’s Office investigators have obtained warrants for four more suspects believed to have been stealing mail in the area of northwest Fort Collins, Rist Canyon, and Stove Prairie. The suspects then subsequently used the information obtained from the mail thefts to create and use fake identifications and financial documents.

This case developed after warrant arrests by observant and tenacious patrol deputies in December 2011 resulted in evidence used to further this investigation. Assistance from the United States Postal Inspectors and the Northern Colorado Financial Crimes Task Force also contributed to the filing of these charges.

Arrest warrants were obtained for the following persons:

• Jessica Renae Cunningham
• Meradeth Nicole Antolich
• Jimmie Joe Montgomery
• Peter Rudolph Antolich

According to the Federal Trade Commission, Colorado ranks first in the nation for fraud and other consumer-related complaints and eleventh for identification theft complaints. Additionally, the Fort Collins-Loveland area ranked thirteenth nationwide for fraud and other consumer-related complaints.

Residents are reminded not to place mail containing checks in their outgoing mailbox if the box is unsecured. Residents are also urged to monitor their financial accounts if they have reason to suspect their mail may have been tampered with.

State, local and federal law enforcement agencies in the region partnered to form the Northern Colorado Financial Crimes Task Force in 2010. The task force was developed in an effort to combine resources, expertise and experience to deal with the growing problem of financial crime.

Anyone with information regarding this or any other crime is asked to call Investigator Benjamin Hess of the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office at 970-498-5173 or Crime Stoppers at 970-221-6868 where you will remain anonymous and possibly be eligible for a cash reward.