A high-value mail thief is on the run after eluding federal agents.
Investigators filed court documents against Djuan Barnes, accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills.
Barnes allegedly took blank checks, money orders and credit cards from mailboxes.
Investigators believe Barnes began stealing mail as far back as October 2017.
An $8,000 check from a missing book of checks mailed by Chase Bank was deposited in a mobile app. Bank of America tracked the IP address to a hotel where Barnes was registered.
In 2018, a Delta plane ticket was purchased in Barnes' name using a new credit card stolen from a Bloomfield Hills mailbox.
The same day that was reported, two more mail thefts were reported in Bloomfield Township, one of them being a missing $200,000 check.
The victims are telling investigators that a gray Dodge Journey vehicle with New York plates was seen in the area.
Detectives say they tailed Barnes in that car as late as Monday, seeing him steal from mailboxes, before they lost track of him at the Woodsprings Suite in Rochester Hills.
Barnes is still on the run, accused of federal mail theft and identity theft.
Those who send or receive checks in the mail are cautioned to look frequently and report right away if something is off.
