Feds: N. Philly man stole church's $184K Peco refund

A North Philadelphia man who used a fake ID to cash a $184,000 check made out to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was arrested in Washington, D.C., Sunday night and charged with a count of wire fraud, federal prosecutors said Monday.

Mark Postell, 52, somehow obtained a check for $183,698.82 that PECO had mailed to a Philadelphia address associated with the new Mormon temple under construction on Vine Street. The utility had overbilled the new Temple for power and had issued a refund, federal prosecutors said.

Postell took the check to a North Philadelphia check cashing operation on Broad Street on April 28. Claiming to be a Mormon "pastor," a position the church does not have, he allegedly showed a fake ID that listed the Temple's address as his home and deposited the check.

The next day, the check cleared and Postell returned to collect the money, according to court papers.

Postell, who has a lengthy police record for petty crime and robbery, was charged by indictment unsealed Monday in Philadelphia. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years of in prison, three years of supervised release, restitution, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.