A whistleblower's tip led to the unraveling of a check and identity theft scheme involving three U.S. Postal Service employees at a Long Island City, New York, post office, resulting in the theft of nearly $320,000 in financial instruments.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Office of Investigations launched an inquiry after an allegation surfaced about an employee cashing an excessive number of U.S. Treasury checks. Investigators found the employee cashing stolen Treasury checks and Postal Money Orders at her window, often using fake ID numbers or information pilfered from customers' identification.
The investigation expanded with the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration joining, revealing two additional accomplices: another sales associate involved in cashing instruments and a mail carrier who helped identify envelopes believed to be carrying checks. Together, the group stole over 150 financial instruments.
All three co-conspirators pleaded guilty. The scheme's leader resigned and received two years' probation, while the other two had their employment terminated and were sentenced to nine months' home confinement during two years' supervised release. The investigation successfully returned nearly $570,000 to victims and secured over $220,000 in forfeited assets.
"By pursuing a thorough and intricate investigation, the USPS OIG ensured those responsible were held accountable and returned significant losses to victims," said Tammy L. Hull, Inspector General for the U.S. Postal Service. "This demonstrated the critical role our oversight plays in neutralizing financial threats to the Postal Service and its customers."