East Helena woman sentenced to three months in prison for mail theft scheme

GREAT FALLS  — An East Helena woman who admitted to her role in a mail theft scheme to defraud others by using unauthorized financial information was sentenced on March 23 to three months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.

Jessica Rose Menth, 33, pleaded guilty in October 2022 to access device fraud.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

In court documents, the government alleged that between December 2020 and January 2021, Menth became involved in a scheme to steal mail to obtain documents, checks, ATM and credit cards, prepaid debit cards with COVID relief funds and other items of value, and then pass the checks and access the money from the various stolen cards. In a search of Menth’s hotel room in January 2021, law enforcement discovered a stack of stolen mail, several documents and more than 30 debit cards, most of which still had activation stickers on them. There was no evidence that Menth had the chance to use or attempt to use any of the devices to make unauthorized purchases. Officers also searched Menth’s car and found several small baggies and a small amount of methamphetamine.   

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey K. Starnes prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service and Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

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