Kansas City area mail thief sentenced to federal prison, for his crimes

A Kansas City area man found guilty of stealing mail is heading to federal prison after trying to cash a fraudulent check at a Kansas bank, then leading police on a chase.

U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips, sentenced Ronald L. Hines, also known as Ronald Hinds, 64, to two years and six months in federal prison without parole.

Officials from the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, said in a statement that the man had prior federal convictions for stealing mail. This latest sentence must be served consecutively to a two-year sentence Hines received upon the revocation of a supervised release. The court also ordered Hines to pay $8,504 in restitution.

Law officials said on Friday that Hines has prior federal convictions in Missouri for stealing mail and bank fraud in 1997 and again in 2009. Hines was still under supervised release following a five-year sentence for the 2009 convictions when he committed the thefts that most recently landed him in federal corrections. Hines also has a prior state conviction for stealing mail in 1977.

Hines admitted to court officials that he stole outgoing mail from rural mailboxes in the Kansas City metropolitan area in both Missouri and Kansas last summer. Mail was stolen from at least two victims in Platte City, Mo., and at least three victims in Shawnee, Kan, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Using stolen mail Hines wrote or cashed more than $8,000 worth of fraudulent checks. Not all of the checks were successfully cashed.

On June 28, 2014, Hines tried to pass a fraudulent check at US Bank in Shawnee. When police showed up he fled the bank and led them on a car chased that ended when Hine’s car struck a curb and smashed into a utility pole.

He was arrested by Overland Park Police.

This story was originally published November 21, 2015 at 2:51 PM with the headline "Kansas City area mail thief sentenced to federal prison, for his crimes."