NJ Man Gets Prison for stealing from mailboxes and postal trucks
CAMDEN, N.J. – Nathaniel Johnson was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for stealing government funds in the form of checks from mailboxes and mail trucks in connection with an identity theft scheme that he ran with his wife, Lakisha Scanes, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Johnson, 43, of Camden, previously pleaded guilty to an Information charging him with theft of government funds. Johnson entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez. Judge Rodriguez also imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:
Johnson admitted that he and his wife, Scanes, 30, also of Camden, stole mail from U.S. Postal vehicles and mailboxes in the Camden area from November 2009 through April 2010. They stole the mail in order to obtain checks, including Social Security, unemployment and tax refund checks issued by the federal government and the state of New Jersey. Johnson also admitted that he recruited other individuals, primarily crack addicts and prostitutes, to help cash the stolen checks.
Johnson then took personal information from the checks – including names and addresses – and used it to obtain false identification documents for the check cashers from various identification businesses in the Camden area. In addition, Johnson also admitted that he transported the check cashers to and from the identification businesses and the check cashing businesses, and paid each check casher a portion of the proceeds. The scheme caused more than $70,000 in losses from November 1, 2009, to April 29, 2010.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Rodriguez sentenced Johnson to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $70,804.57 in restitution.
Scanes, who helped Johnson rob mailboxes and recruit and transport check cashers, also pleaded guilty to theft of government funds, on January 25, 2011. Scanes is scheduled to be sentenced on August 18, 2011. Another co-conspirator, Gilbert Mercado, 37, of Camden, helped Johnson to rob mail vehicles and cashed several checks. Mercado pleaded guilty to the same charge on January 24, 2011, and was sentenced to 51 months in prison on May 24, 2011.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited U.S. postal inspectors, under the direction of Karen V. Higgins, Postal Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Philadelphia Division, for their investigation leading to today’s sentence. He also thanked special agents with the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, New York Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Ryan; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Northeast Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey G. Hughes; and the Camden Police Department, under the direction of Chief J. Scott Thomson.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Diana Carrig of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.
Former Postal Employee Sentenced to Statutory Maximum Sentence of Five Years in Federal Prison for Role in Mail Theft Conspiracy
June 24
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas issued the following news release:
Defendant Worked as a Mail Handler at Dallas Main Post Office
DALLAS- A former employee of the U.S. Postal Service, James Olabode Laniyan, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Jorge A. Solis to 60 months in federal prison, the statutory maximum, for his role in a mail theft conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Judge Solis also ordered that Laniyan, pay $302,620 in restitution for disbursement to Discover Card Services and Capital Bank One Bank. Laniyan, 51, of Grand Prairie, Texas, was ordered to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on July 28, 2010.
Laniyan pleaded guilty in February 2010 to one count of conspiracy to possess stolen mail matter and commit fraud and related activity in connection with access devices. In January 2010, Laniyan’s co-conspirator, Sulaimon Olasode, 36, of Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty to the same offense and was sentenced last month by Judge Solis to 48 months in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution jointly and severally with Laniyan. Olasode is in federal custody; following his sentence, will be referred to U.S. Immigration authorities for deportation to Nigeria.
According to documents filed in the case, Laniyan was employed as a mail handler with the U.S. Postal Service at the Dallas Main Post Office. Sometime prior to October 2008, Olasode approached Laniyan about stealing mail from the post office. After considering the money he could make, Laniyan agreed to participate in the conspiracy, which they ran until August 5, 2009.
“The American public trusts the Postal Service to deliver its mail intact. When a postal employee betrays that trust and steals mail, then uses stolen financial information to wreak havoc in the lives of our citizens, Special Agents of the Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General investigate. Fortunately, these incidents are not common, and the overwhelming majority of the 600,000 postal employees are honest and hard working. With the prosecutive support of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we will aggressively pursue any employee committing a postal crime,” said Max Eamiguel, Executive Special Agent-in-Charge, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Postal Service, Southwest Area Field Office.
Laniyan stole credit cards and credit card customer information by removing letters and parcels from the mail stream and then sent the contents of the stolen mail to Olasode in Houston for him to activate and use the stolen credit cards in the Houston area. In February 2009, members of Discover Financial Services Organized Crime Unit identified more than 40 credit cards mailed to customers in the Dallas area that were never received and later compromised. The vast majority of the compromised cards were being fraudulently used in the Houston, Katy, Sugarland and Richmond, Texas, areas.
Approximately 150 victims had their Capital One or Discover credit cards stolen in the scheme.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service – Office of Inspector General and the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron L. Wiley was in charge of the prosecution.
Former Postal Employee Pleads Guilty To Theft, Agrees To Repay $134,416
WASHINGTON – Shareen Wilson, 42, a former mail carrier with the United States Postal Service (“USPS”), pleaded guilty this afternoon to one count of Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud,in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1341 and 1349, and one count of Theft of Mail by U.S. PostalEmployee, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1709, for her role in a scheme to steal United States and District of Columbia treasury checks from the mail and cash them at local check cashing
establishments using fake identification documents, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced. The plea hearing was presided over by the Honorable John D. Bates, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Sentencing is scheduled for August 12, 2010, where Wilson faces between 33 and 41 months of incarceration under the voluntary federal sentencing guidelines. As part of her plea, Wilson also agreed to pay $134,416.27 in restitution.
According to the government’s evidence, from May 2008 through February 2010, Wilson stole over 50 United States and District of Columbia treasury checks from the USPS River Terrace Carrier Annex, where she was assigned. These checks had been mailed by the United States and District of Columbia governments to intended recipients in Washington, D.C. Many of these checks had been entrusted to Wilson’s custody for delivery on her own postal route. Others had been stolen by Wilson from boxes assigned to other mail carriers.
After removing the checks from the USPS River Terrace Carrier Annex, Wilson provided them to co-conspirator S.D. S.D. recruited various individuals (referred to as “cashers”) to cash the stolen treasury checks using fake and fraudulent identification documents, including fake District of Columbia driver’s licenses bearing the photographs of the cashers but the names and addresses of the intended recipients of the treasury checks. S.D. obtained the fake and fraudulent identification documents from an individual known as the “ID Dude.” S.D. had at least eight cashers working for him directly or indirectly. The cashers generally cashed the stolen checks at local liquor stores. In exchange for providing stolen United States and District of Columbia treasury checks to S.D., S.D. paid Wilson a portion of the proceeds of the checks, ranging from $200 to $850 per check.
Altogether, Wilson and the other members of the stolen check scheme were responsible for the theft and fraudulent negotiation of over $130,000 in stolen United States and District of Columbia treasury checks. More than 50 individuals and businesses were victimized by the scheme,either because their mail was stolen or because they sustained an economic loss by cashing the checks.
In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the outstanding investigative work of agents of the USPS Office of Inspector General, Special Agent Derek Savoy of the District of Columbia Office of Inspector General, agents of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, agents of the U.S. Secret Service, and Detective Michael Pavero of the Metropolitan Police Department. U.S. Attorney Machen also praised the efforts of members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Legal Assistant Jamasee Lucas, Paralegal Specialists Sarah Reis and Mary Treanor,and Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Johnson and Ellen Chubin Epstein, who are prosecuting the case.
Former Postal Service Employee Pleads Guilty to Mail Theft
June 4, 2010
Baltimore, Maryland – Althaniel Arson Dailey, age 47, of Severn, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to mail theft.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein and Postal Inspector in Charge Daniel S. Cortez of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Washington Division.
According to the plea agreement, on February 28, 2009, Dailey, a former police officer and Postal Service employee, arrived at the loading dock at the Columbia, Maryland Post Office, where he had been employed until his discharge three to four weeks earlier. Dailey represented himself to be an employee of a large Postal Service customer in the area which picks up its own mail because it contains a large volume of returned mail containing cash. Dailey loaded the company’s 12 letter trays and two tubs of mail into his car.
Dailey admits that later that day, wearing his former Postal Service uniform, and identifying himself as a Postal Service employee, he delivered two tubs and three letter trays of mail to the company’s corporate headquarters. Dailey retained nine letter trays of mail, consisting primarily of returned mail. Each of the approximately 600 letters in each of the nine trays contained cash, totaling approximately $10,800.
Dailey faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for August 19, 2010 at 10:30 a.m.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended Assistant United States Attorney Tamera L. Fine, who is prosecuting the case.
Rural Carrier Pleads Guilty to Mail Theft
US Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Brandon G.Novak, age 42, of Yankton, appeared before US Magistrate John E.Simko on May 5, 2010, and pled guilty to one count of an indictment that charged him with five counts of Theft of Mail by a Postal Service Employee. The maximum penalty upon conviction is five years imprisonment and/or a $250,000 fine.
Brandon G.Novak was a full-time United States Postal Service employee,having been so employed since 1996. Novak was a rural mail carrier assigned to deliver mail on Rural Route 7 in Yankton, South Dakota. Between July 1, 2009 and October 15, 2009, Novak came into possession of correspondence and other mail items intended to be conveyed by the United States mail. Included within this correspondence and mail were items containing gift cards and coupons. On several occasions, Novak would take out store coupons and gift cards from mail and use them to buy personal items for himself.
The investigation was conducted by the Office of the Inspector General – United States Postal Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Dennis R. Holmes. A presentence investigation was ordered, and a sentencing date has not yet been set. The defendant was released on bond pending sentencing.
Postal Employee Charged With Stealing Over 1,200 Gift Cards From Mail
US Attorney Press Release
Allegedly Rifled Over 1200 Greeting Cards, Stealing Cash, Checks and Gift Cards
Baltimore, Maryland – A criminal complaint has been filed charging Postal Service employee Andrew C. Walsh, age 51, of Cockeysville, Maryland, with theft of mail. Walsh was arrested at home last night. At the time of his arrest, agents recovered approximately 450 stolen gift cards from his vehicle.
The criminal charge was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein and Special Agent in Charge Joanne Yarbrough, Office of Investigations, U.S. Postal Service – Office of Inspector General.
According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, throughout January 2010, Postal employees at the Baltimore Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC), 900 East Fayette Street in Baltimore responsible for preparing mail for the first stages of mail processing, turned over numerous rifled greeting cards to the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (OIG) for investigation. These greeting cards had been torn open and in many cases their contents had been removed. From January through April 2010, rifled greeting cards were recovered almost daily, from approximately 4:30 p.m. through 10:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The recovered mail fluctuated between approximately 20 to 100 rifled greeting cards each night, totaling approximately 1200 victims to date.
Working with victims whose mail had been rifled and the contents stolen, investigators were able to identify gift cards which had been stolen and used. Investigators were able to connect some of those cards to Andrew Walsh, a Postal Service maintenance mechanic, who is currently an Acting Supervisor at the Baltimore Processing and Distribution Center, working the 3:00 p.m to 11:30 p.m. shift, Monday through Friday.
Walsh faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for theft of mail by a postal employee. Walsh had an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore today at 1:00 p.m.
A criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by criminal complaint is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney Tamera L. Fine, who is prosecuting the case.
Mail Handler and Letter Carrier Charged With Mail Theft
Filed under: legal cases, letter carriers, mail handlers, postal, press releases
Press Releases from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas :
(HOUSTON) – A mail handler for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has been indicted for mail theft, United States Attorney José Angel Moreno announced today.
Johnny McCoy, 49, of Spring, Texas, has been charged in a one-count indictment with theft of mail by a postal employee returned by a Houston grand jury on April 8, 2010. McCoy surrendered himself to USPS-Office of Inspector General authorities on Monday, April 12, 2010, and has been ordered released on bond pending trial of the case.
The charges are the result of an investigation into the theft of greeting card letters destined for USPS customers. McCoy is accused of stealing two $20 bills and a $10 bill from first class mail addressed to a USPS customer residing in Kemah, Texas, in July 2009.
McCoy worked as a mail handler at the North Houston Processing and Distribution Center at the time of this incident. Three days later, McCoy resigned from his position with the USPS.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Tammie Y. Moore is prosecuting the case
(HOUSTON) – A U.S. Postal Service (USPS) letter carrier has been indicted for mail theft, United States Attorney José Angel Moreno announced today.
Johnnie Harden, 46, of Houston, was charged by a Houston grand jury on April 8, 2010, with two counts of theft of mail by a postal employee. Harden surrendered himself to the U.S. Marshals Service on Monday, April 12, 2010, and has been ordered released on bond pending trial in this case.
The charges against Harden are the result of an investigation initiated by the USPS-Office of Inspector General upon receipt of customer complaints reporting non-receipt of a greeting card intended for a recipient address in Houston.
Harden is accused of having stolen a $50 Target gift card from the mail entrusted to him for delivery to a USPS customer on Sept. 23, 2009, and two $50 bills enclosed in a second article of mail on Oct. 15, 2009.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Tammie Y. Moore is prosecuting the case.
South Dakota Contract Carrier Sentenced In Mail Theft Case
Press Release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota:
February 2, 2010
Rapid City, SD
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Lemmon man charged with Theft of Mail Matter was sentenced on February 2, 2010, by Chief US District Judge Karen E. Schreier. Claude Haugen, age 44, was sentenced to 2 months home confinement, 3 years probation, a $100 special assessment, and $866 restitution. Haugen was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 22, 2009. In February 2009, Haugen, a contract carrier for the U.S. Postal Service, stole a package from an individual on his route. On November 2, 2009, he pled guilty to the charge. This case was investigated by the USPS-OIG. Assistant US Attorney Carolyn G. Olson prosecuted the case