A former employee of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) was given a prison sentence for her role in a large-scale check fraud conspiracy that led to the theft of more than $24 million.
The Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, Dena J. King, recently announced sentence decisions in the case, which was looked into and prosecuted by federal officials.
Nakedra Shannon, a 30-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina resident who worked as a mail processing clerk at a USPS distribution center, was the mastermind behind the plan, which had other co-conspirators.
Starting in March 2021 and ending in July 2023, Shannon worked for the Postal Service.
Shannon engaged in illegal activities from April to July 2023 while working at the facility, stealing both outgoing and incoming checks, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office press release.
Her acts resulted in the theft of large sums of money by stealing checks, many of which were issued by the government.
Donell Gardner and Desiray Carter, 30, both of Charlotte, were Shannon’s accomplices in the plot.
Gardner, who had previously been sentenced in 2023, was given a term of 54 months in jail and three years of supervised release, while Carter was given a sentence of 60 months in prison.
“[Shannon] conspired with Gardner and Carter to steal incoming and outgoing checks from the U.S. mail, which Gardner and Carter then sold to other individuals, including using the Telegram channel OG Glass House,” according to the press release.
More than $24 million worth of checks were stolen as a result of the group’s illegal operations, and they were utilized to commit financial fraud.
“[The total] includes over $12 million in stolen checks that were posted for sale on the Telegram channel OG Glass House, and more than $8 million in stolen U.S. Treasury checks,” the release continued. “The defendants obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars in criminal proceeds of the mail theft scheme.”
The three entered guilty pleas to one count of conspiracy to steal government property and commit financial institution fraud.
They were charged with participating in the theft of cheques meant for other people or organizations, which the defendants redirected for their own financial benefit.
This is a very serious example of theft and fraud because the stolen checks included important government agencies and financial institutions.
The sum stolen was among the highest involving USPS personnel in recent years, and the court condemned the individuals for their involvement in this massive crime.
The defendants were sentenced to prison and forced to pay $113,333.87 in restitution, both jointly and individually.
The victims, who most likely included government agencies and financial organizations affected by the fraud, were to get the restitution.
Although it does not fully address the scope of the crime, this component of the punishment is crucial since it guarantees that the victims of the theft will receive some recompense.
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The case illustrates the substantial risk of theft in organizations that deal with private financial information and shows how federal authorities are working to combat theft and corruption in the USPS.
The three defendants acknowledged in their plea deals that they were part of a scheme that compromised the security and confidence of the U.S. Postal Service and the organizations they deceived.
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The sentencing serves as a reminder that workplace criminality, especially when it involves government property, will have serious repercussions, including lengthy prison terms and orders for compensation.
“In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked U.S. Postal Service’s Office of the Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Department of Treasury Bureau of the Fiscal Service, and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for their investigation of the case,” according to the press release.
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