Detroit postal employees among 4 charged in $63M mail theft conspiracy

FOX 2 - Four suspects from Metro Detroit were charged in connection to a $63 million scheme involving stealing checks from the mail and selling them online, the US Attorney's Office Eastern District of Michigan announced Friday.

Jaiswan Williams, 31, of Rochester Hills, Dequan Foreman, 30, of Eastpointe, Vanessa Hargrove, 39, of Detroit, and Crystal Jenkins, 31, of Detroit, were charged with conspiracy to aid and abet bank and wire fraud.

The backstory:

Hargrove and Jenkins were United States Postal Service employees who allegedly diverted and stole checks and other negotiable items from the mail, including a high volume of tax refund checks issued by the U.S. Treasury.

Investigators say Williams and Foreman were behind the online sales used to sell the checks.

Postal employees Hargrove and Jenkins allegedly provide the stolen checks to Williams and Foreman in exchange for payments.  

Williams and Foreman would take those checks and market them for sale via Telegram Messenger, a cloud-based, cross-platform instant messaging application.  

Prices varied based on the face-value of the checks.

Investigators say one of the Telegram channels, named "Whole Foods Slipsss," was used to advertise high-dollar checks, while another channel, named "Uber Eats Slips," advertised lower-dollar checks.  

"Slips" is a term commonly used in these schemes to refer to stolen checks. Transactions were completed off-platform using a variety of electronic payment systems.  Purchasers of these checks would then attempt to fraudulently cash them using a variety of methods.

Conspiracy charges carry a sentence of 30 years in prison. Williams also faces charges for money laundering for activities dating back to October 2022, and for millions of dollars of fraudulent pandemic unemployment insurance benefit claims submitted between August and December 2020.

"When public employees break the public trust, they enrich themselves at the expense of the American taxpayer and undermine the institution itself," said United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. in a release. "We will find and prosecute those who exploit their position for personal gain. We are committed to disrupting these shadowy schemes."

"This investigation represents the hard work and dedication by USPS OIG special agents, working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and other federal agencies, to bring charges on this significant mail theft investigation," said Tammy Hull, Inspector General U.S. Postal Service. "The OIG, along with our law enforcement partners, remains committed to safeguarding the U.S. Mail and ensuring the accountability and integrity of U.S. Postal Service employees."

The stealing of checks is not a victimless crime. The stolen checks belonged to citizens, to help them make payments for vital services or help through a tough time," said Special Agent in Charge Charles Miller, Detroit Field Office, IRS-CI. "The violations alleged in these charges carry extra weight as some of these individuals were trusted as public servants. We are committed, along with our law enforcement partners, to using our unique expertise to track intricate financial systems, find criminals, and hold them accountable for the crimes committed."