ST. LOUIS – Two St. Louis-area men recruited homeless people and drug-addicted individuals to carry out an elaborate fraud scheme involving stolen identities and high-value checks, some worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to newly filed charging documents.
On Friday the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office charged Samuel Stewart, 26, and Royce Charles Leron Finger Jr., 22, each with one count of conspiracy to commit a Class A, B or C felony or unclassified felony in connection with the case.
A months-long investigation revealed an organized scheme that relied on recruiting vulnerable individuals, including homeless people and drug addicts, to open bank accounts under false identities while Stewart and Finger allegedly provided housing, food, money and drugs to maintain control of the individuals…