BALTIMORE MAN CHARGED WITH STEALING
STATE CHECKS FROM MAILBOXES

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today that Lamontray T. Christian, 31,whose last known address is 3912 Lyndale Avenue, was indicted by the Grand Jury for Baltimore City on 45 counts of theft, identity fraud and forgery, in connection with the theft of several State and corporate checks from the mailboxes of city residents and cashing them at local check cashing facilities throughout Baltimore. The indictment alleges that between November, 2001 and July, 2002, Christian passed over $10,000 in stolen and forged checks, and used fake identification to cash the checks. Many of the State of Maryland checks were income tax refunds and unemployment checks. Others were insurance reimbursement checks.

All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Christian was arrested on some of the charges on December 18, 2002 and held on $10,000 bail. If convicted he could be sentenced to a total of 327 years incarceration and ordered to pay fines of up to $97,500.

The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, Washington Division/Baltimore Office, and prosecuted by the Office of the Attorney General, Criminal Investigations Division.

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