USPS letter carrier stole checks worth nearly $1.7 million from the mail, officials say

A U.S. Postal Service letter carrier in Washington, D.C., allegedly stole checks out of the mail worth a total of almost $1.7 million, according to federal court documents.

The mailman started working out of the Friendship Heights Post Office in 2020 and eventually was assigned to a route in the affluent Wesley Heights neighborhood, according to court documents.

For years he would alter U.S. Treasury checks he stole — about 100 of them — adding his name and address and depositing them into bank accounts he controlled, according to investigators.

In January, a resident on his route reported his tax refund was stolen. Investigators connected the dots by matching signatures on the stolen checks, because “this USPS mail carrier provided holiday cards to the residents on his mail route in December 2022,” court documents said.

Investigators say they searched the mailman’s house and found a bank receipt with one of the stolen checks worth more than $400,000.

According to the federal court documents, investigators say they have ATM pictures of the mailman making deposits and withdraws in his USPS uniform.

This week, federal authorities asked a judge to seize the stolen money.

The U.S. attorney’s office wouldn’t comment, but the U.S. Postal Service Inspector General confirmed the investigation into that mailman is ongoing. Court records show he was placed on leave without pay March 29.

In a statement to News4, a USPS representative said, “The employee is still on the rolls of the USPS at this time. Per postal policy and the Privacy Act, USPS cannot comment further.”