06:23 PM EDT on Thursday, April 13, 2006

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- A man was charged with using scores of change-of-address forms to divert mail from all over the nation to his address in Beaver County.

Federal prosecutors have charged Fred Hill of Aliquippa with wire fraud, accusing him of diverting mail from people both living and dead.

Postal inspectors said in court records that when they entered an Aliquippa home where Hill had stayed, they found "a significant volume" of abandoned mail along with lists of Social Security numbers and names of people in California, Georgia and Arkansas.

The criminal complaint alleged that Hill compromised the bank accounts of Freddie Hill, 72, of Savannah, Ga., and Dan Money, of Chesapeake, Va. Authorities alleged Hill took $12,000 in two convenience checks from Freddie Hill's account last year.

Freddie Hill said she realized something was wrong when she didn't receive any mail in her name for several weeks in March 2005. Hill asked her postman, "'What's happening? I'm not getting any mail,' and this is when I learned what happened," she said.

"I'm still having problems with my address being changed. It's a nightmare."

Since January, Fred Hill had used the Postal Service's Web site to file 170 change-of-address forms, authorities alleged in court records. The same credit card had been used to pay the $1 charge for filing change-of-address forms online, they said.

Postal Service spokeswoman Patricia Licata said a credit card is required for security reasons. "We have systems in place to prevent this type of occurrence," she said, but declined further comment on the specific case until officials have time to analyze what happened.

Money told authorities someone had tried to open a credit card account at Target in his name in February and also charged a Web site subscription fee to his account.

Police said Hill, charged last week, told them he was a U.S. Navy Seal in the 1980s and used the covert name Daniel Money, according to the criminal complaint. He also identified himself as an attorney, a senior vice president for Black Entertainment Television and the producer of TV's Montel Williams Show, the complaint said. A federal judge this week ordered a psychiatric evaluation for Hill.

Hill's attorney, Adrian Roe, said his client remained in Allegheny County Jail. Roe declined comment on the charges.

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)