Birmingham woman sentenced to prison after stealing checks in Baldwin County

MOBILE, Ala. ( WKRG ) — A Birmingham woman faces prison time after officials said she repeatedly stole mail and checks.

The United States Department of Justice said in a news release that Valnica Strong Garner, 41, was sentenced to prison following incidents that reportedly happened in November 2023 and January 2024.

According to the release, Garner stole checks from the mailbox of a Baldwin County woman and used the forged checks to buy merchandise from various Walmart stores. Officials said that later when Garner was on supervised release for prior, related convictions, deputies found her with stolen social security cards belonging to eight different people and stolen checks.

Senior United States District Callie V.S. Granade sentenced Garner to 39 months in prison. She also faces a five-year term of supervised release following her sentence and was ordered to pay $1,034.65 in victim restitution and $200 in special assessments.

The USDOJ release said the case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller on behalf of the United States. U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement, and the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

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