In The News | Former treasurer of Albuquerque mail handler’s union accused of misusing union funds

  Former treasurer of Albuquerque mail handler’s union accused of misusing union funds

"Local 331, which is based in Albuquerque...Max Jaramillo, 58, served as treasurer of the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, Local 331, from 2014 through early 2024. He used the union’s funds to cover personal expenses, including alcohol, cigarettes, condoms..."

Reference: www.krqe.com




 

USPS News Link | Former employee goes to prison for counterfeit check fraud scheme | The USPS Office of Inspector General is highlighting the ‘cautionary tale’

  Former employee goes to prison for counterfeit check fraud scheme | The USPS Office of Inspector General is highlighting the ‘cautionary tale’

"...A former Postal Service employee and her accomplice will spend several years in federal prison for a multimillion-dollar check fraud scheme.

Kalaijha Tomeco Ranier Lewis, the former employee, and her accomplice, Brian Christopher Williams III, defrauded several banks and credit unions between 2021 and 2023, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama.

The USPS Office of Inspector General recently highlighted the case as a “cautionary tale” on its website. ..."

Reference: USPS News Link




 

In The News | ‘Pure evil’ transgender woman who fatally stabbed postal worker inside NYC deli sentenced to 15 years: ‘Disgusting excuse for a human being’

  ‘Pure evil’ transgender woman who fatally stabbed postal worker inside NYC deli sentenced to 15 years: ‘Disgusting excuse for a human being’

"...The knife-wielding transgender woman who viciously stabbed a postal worker to death in a Harlem deli earlier this year was sentenced Thursday to 15 years behind bars.

Jaia Cruz, 24 — who ruthlessly killed USPS worker Ray Hodges after an argument in January — was given the sentence after striking a plea deal, infuriating relatives of Hodges at the Manhattan court hearing..."

Reference: nypost.com


 

In The News | Chinese Logistics Firms (US Based) Caught Using Counterfeit USPS Labels

  US-Based Chinese Logistics Firms Caught Using Counterfeit USPS Labels

"... Two Chinese logistics firms based in New York and California have been barred from using the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) over allegations that they perpetuated a years-long counterfeit postage scheme.

On May 15, the U.S. filed a civil complaint in a Brooklyn federal court alleging that YDH Express, Inc. and YDH Int’l Inc., which are based in Queens, N.Y. and Los Angeles, Calif., along with their owner, Yizhao “Harvey” Hou, conspired and committed mail fraud by shipping thousands of parcels hailing from China using their own fake USPS postage labels. ..."

Reference: sourcingjournal.com




 

$100,000 Reward | U.S. Postal Inspection Service still on the lookout for mail, bank fraud suspect

  U.S. Postal Inspection Service still on the lookout for mail, bank fraud suspect

"...BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - The U.S. Postal Inspection Service needs your help finding a bank and mail fraud suspect and you could get $100,000 in return.

Central Alabama Crimestoppers says Rhashema Shantae Shackleford, also known as Rhashema Deramus, is wanted on outstanding felony warrants for bank fraud and conspiracy to commit mail and bank fraud.

U.S. Postal Inspector Julie Nicholson-Morgan says it all started when Shackleford allegedly stole some checks from the mail.

While her last known address was in Montgomery, she could be anywhere. ..."

Reference: www.wbrc.com




 

Chicago | $100K reward offered for mail thief impersonating a postal mail carrier

  $100K reward offered in Loop mail theft

"CHICAGO – The local division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service on Tuesday offered a $100,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of a mail thief.

The suspected thief, shown in photos released by the USPIS, stole mail from a corporate building in the Loop in December, the agency said. Earlier this month, while dressed as a USPS mail carrier, the same person allegedly attempted to steal mail from a different Loop office building, but was unsuccessful. ..."

Reference: www.aol.com




 

Birmingham postal worker convicted of supplying stolen checks to sell online

  Birmingham postal worker convicted of supplying stolen checks to sell online

"Michael Christopher Rowser, a 24-year-old former U.S. Postal Service employee, was convicted of conspiracy to receive bribes and conspiracy to commit wire fraud...The evidence showed Rowser, a mail handler at the U.S. Postal Service’s Processing & Distribution Center in Birmingham, received approximately $106,000 in bribe payments over the course of a year for his role supplying checks to “The Lucky Shop.”..."

Reference: www.al.com




 

Alabama | Madison Police investigating after mail carrier robbed at gunpoint

  Madison Police investigating after mail carrier robbed at gunpoint

"...MADISON, Ala. (WAFF) - An investigation is underway in Madison after a mail carrier was robbed at gunpoint on Sunday. Madison Police officials say a mail carrier was robbed at gunpoint in the Hill Chase subdivision Sunday around 4:30 p.m. ..."

Reference: www.waff.com




 

St. Louis Mail Handler steals over $1.5 million in checks from letters in MO center, feds say

  St. Louis Mail Handler steals over $1.5 million in checks from letters in MO center, feds say

"...$1.5 million in checks went missing from letters at a Missouri mail distribution center, fingerprints tracked back to a 29-year-old postal worker, federal officials said. Anthony Virdure II, a mail handler for the United States Postal Service in St. Louis, was indicted on three counts of mail theft and one count of wire fraud..."

Reference: www.kansascity.com




 

Mail theft in Huntsville causes USPS collection boxes to be removed

  Mail theft in Huntsville causes USPS collection boxes to be removed

"...she went into her local post office a few days later to remail the check directly when the USPS workers told her something strange about their collection boxes.

“The woman that was there told me not to put any mail in their blue box that was still out there because it had been compromised and that someone had a way, thieves, had a way of getting into it,” she continued. “They were no longer utilizing that, it was being locked up.”..."

Reference: www.waaytv.com
 

Former Mobile postal worker admits to stealing millions of dollars in checks from mail

  Former Mobile postal worker admits to stealing millions of dollars in checks from mail

"Kalaijha Tomeco Rainier Lewis and Brian Christopher Williams III pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. ...Lewis, who worked as a clerk at the downtown post office on St. Joseph Street, admitted that she took stacks of business checks over a roughly three-month period this year and then sold them..."

Reference: www.fox10tv.com
 

USPS cracks down on mail theft from stolen ‘arrow keys’

  USPS cracks down on mail theft from stolen ‘arrow keys’

"It’s the busiest time of year for the U.S. Postal Service — and thieves are taking advantage. ...By using stolen USPS master keys — also called “arrow” or “universal” keys — crooks are able to unlock multiple mailboxes at once. ..."

Reference: www.kxan.com
 

Letters sticking out of mail collection boxes (Blue Boxes) are 'like a field day for a criminal'

  Letters sticking out of mail collection boxes (Blue Boxes) are 'like a field day for a criminal'

"The U.S. treasury issued a dire warning Monday about a nationwide surge in check fraud. . ..."When criminals see letters sticking out of a blue collection box, they know nothing is being done," said Frank Albergo, national president of the Postal Police Officers Association. Photos like these..."

Reference: www.cbsnews.com
 

Massive check fraud operation: Encrypted communication platforms online, selling everything from postal keys used to steal mail from blue boxes to the checks themselves

  Massive check fraud operation: Encrypted communication platforms online, selling everything from postal keys used to steal mail from blue boxes to the checks themselves

"...‘This is literally a criminal conspiracy’: Criminals are stealing, editing and depositing mailed checks, leaving a trail of pain across New Orleans..."

Reference: www.wdam.com
 

Mailbox and Postal Blue Box Users: Check Washing Crime Reduction

  Mailbox and Postal Blue Box Users: Check Washing Crime Reduction

Many postal blueboxes and residential mailboxes are being robbed of handwritten checks. Thieves steal these checks and wash them. Check washing is the erasing of the written amount and altering that amount to a much greater sum. Wikipedia explains the process, but we will not detail how to wash a check. Wikipedia also explains several means a check writer can take to reduce the possibility of being the victim of check washing. One of the easiest means of doing so is to use pens with more secure inks. The makers of pens advertise these inks in various terms. Some call the inks secure inks, fraud reducing inks and archival quality inks. Basically these inks soak into the paper better than many inks and resist most solvents used in the check washing process. The inks are found primarily in rollerball, fountain pen and gel pens. One example of the pen is the uni-ball® 207™ Retractable Fraud Prevention Gel Pen offered on Amazon. Often you can find these pens in many of your local stores as well.

So if you place your mail in a residential mailbox or a United States Postal Service blue collection box we suggest you take the simple step of using one of these pens to reduce becoming a victim of the rampant escalation of check washing schemes.

Reference: npmhu317.blogspot.com
 

Fresno homeowner saddened as video shows small child stealing package from doorstep

  Fresno homeowner saddened as video shows small child stealing package from doorstep

"...A Fresno homeowner’s security cameras captured video showing a small child taking a package from the porch of the home. ..."

Reference: www.sacbee.com
 

What is ‘naked packaging’? Experts say it’s luring porch pirates

  What is ‘naked packaging’? Experts say it’s luring porch pirates

"...WGN has recently learned of complaints about more deliveries, with some referred to as “naked packages.” WGN captured a flat-screen TV dropped off on a local porch with packaging showing anyone walking by precisely what was inside. Dr. Ben Stickle, associate professor of Criminal Justice Administration at Middle Tennessee State University, is a porch piracy expert..."

Reference: pix11.com
 

Federal prison for impersonating a U.S. postal inspector, postmaster general

  Federal prison for impersonating a U.S. postal inspector, postmaster general

"...OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An eastern Nebraska man has been sentenced to more than a year in federal prison for impersonating a U.S. postal inspector, postmaster general and a U.S. marshal on various occasions. Jeff..."

Reference: www.usnews.com
 

St. Petersburg postal clerk stole keys to break into PO boxes for bank fraud, DOJ says

  St. Petersburg postal clerk stole keys to break into PO boxes for bank fraud, DOJ says

"...A former Florida postal clerk is facing federal prison time after she stole post office box keys and used her access to customers’ mail in a bank fraud scheme, according to U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. Read more at: https://www.bradenton.com/news/local/crime/article256410841.html#storylink=cpy..."

Reference: www.bradenton.com
 

ID theft ring recruited USPS mail carriers to steal credit cards: DA

  ID theft ring recruited USPS mail carriers to steal credit cards: DA

"...Ten people have been indicted in an ID theft conspiracy that included United States Postal Service mail carriers and netted more than $750,000, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance announced Wednesday...."

Reference: abc7ny.com