Former U.S. Postal Service employees sentenced in $63M mail theft scheme
Four Metro Detroiters, including two former U.S. Postal Service employees, have been sentenced for 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.
Hargrove and Jenkins are former USPS employees who, according to federal prosecutors, diverted and stole checks and other mail items, including a large quantity of tax refund checks issued by the U.S. Treasury. Authorities 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, market them on Telegram Messenger, an instant messaging application.
Authorities say the resale price depended on the check's face value, 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 various methods.
A federal investigation revealed that two Telegram channels advertised more than 10,000 checks for sale, with a combined face value exceeding $63 million.
Williams, who prosecutors say was the ringleader of the alleged scheme, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Tuesday.
"Jaiswan Williams exploited his platform as a rapper, using his celebrity status to rip off American taxpayers. These criminal acts will not be tolerated. We remain relentless in this war on fraud and will ensure every fraudster that attempts to undermine the American people receives their prison sentence," said Anthony P. D'Esposito, Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Labor.
In addition, the U.S. Attorney's office says Williams previously 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.
Prosecutors say Foreman was previously sentenced to 48 months in custody, while Hargrove was given 12 months and one day in custody. Jenkins was sentenced to one day in custody and three years of supervised release.
