Storm Insurance Checks Reportedly Stolen from Mailboxes

By Gan Matthews, NEWS 9

MOORE, Oklahoma -- Con artists always seem to appear after natural disasters, and the storms of May 10 are no exception.

Moore Police and the Secret Service are investigating a series of thefts of insurance checks from metro mailboxes.

Moore resident Nita Lablue was expecting an insurance check of more than $10,000 for damage to her roof and garage door, but it never arrived in the mail.

Authorities said they suspected her check and others were stolen out of mailboxes by a man named Eduardo Ramirez.

Ramirez's name was given as a man who has cashed several of those insurance checks at metro banks recently. In all, the man--whose image has been captured on bank security cameras--may have pocketed more than $50,000 illegally.

Authorities don't know his real name, and they'd like the public's help in identifying and locating him.

"We don't know who he is. We have good video of him, good pictures of him. That's what we would like to know--to find out who he is and where he's getting all these checks," said Moore Police Sgt. Jeremy Lewis.

Nita Lablue would like to see him caught, too.

"I hope they prosecute him," said Lablue. "You know it's illegal to take somebody's mail."

Anyone with information should call Moore police 405-793-5171.