Former U.S. Postal Service employees plead guilty in $63M mail theft scheme

Four Metro Detroiters, including two former U.S. Postal Service employees, have pleaded guilty to their part in a $63 million scheme involving checks that were stolen from the mail and then resold, federal prosecutors said. 

Jaiswan Williams, 32, of Rochester Hills, Daquan Foreman, 32, of Eastpointe, Vanessa Hargrove, 40, of Detroit, and Crystal Jenkins, 32, of Detroit, all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to aid and abet bank and wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan. 

In addition, the U.S. Attorney's office says Williams pleaded guilty to money laundering and accepted responsibility for $1.5 million of fraudulent pandemic unemployment insurance benefit claims submitted between May 2020 and September 2021.

Hargrove and Jenkins are former USPS employees who, according to prosecutors, diverted and stole checks and other mail items, including a large quantity of tax refund checks issued by the U.S. Treasury. Federal prosecutors say the two would give the stolen checks to Williams and Foreman, who were administrators on online marketplaces used to sell the checks and, in turn, would market them for sale on Telegram Messenger, an instant messaging application.

Authorities say the resale price depended on the face value of the check, and purchases were made via several electronic payment platforms. Those who bought the checks would then attempt to fraudulently cash them, according to federal prosecutors, using a variety of methods. 

All four charged face up to 30 years in prison for the conspiracy charge, while Williams also faces up to 20 years for the money laundering charge. 

Foreman and Hargrove will be sentenced on March 3, according to prosecutors, while Williams and Jenkins are scheduled for sentencing on April 14 and May 27, respectively.