SAN DIEGO – U.S. Postal Service employee Dewayne Morris Sr. and his son and namesake are charged in federal court with multiple felony counts of bank fraud and conspiracy in connection with the theft of $5 million in Postal money order forms.

Morris Sr. is charged along with his son, Dewayne Morris Jr., and four others, with conspiring to convert the stolen money order forms into cash.

According to the indictment, Morris Sr., then a supervisor for post offices in Venice, Playa del Rey, and Marina del Rey, ordered and received 10,000 blank Postal money order forms. A subsequent audit revealed that approximately 5,100 of those 10,000 money order forms were missing. With a maximum value of $1,000 per money order, the potential value of the missing money order forms is $5.1 million. Contrary to Morris Sr.’s claim to investigators that he properly returned some of the 10,000 money order forms, the indictment alleges that his son, Morris Jr., distributed the missing money orders to co-conspirators.

DEFENDANTS Case Number 22-CR-1037-WQH

Dewayne Morris, Senior Age: 62 Inglewood, CA

Dewayne Morris, Junior Age: 39 Inglewood, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 371

Maximum penalty: Five years in prison; $250,000 fine or twice the pecuniary gain/loss

Bank Fraud – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1344(2)

Maximum penalty: Thirty years in prison; $1 million fine or twice the pecuniary gain/loss

Aggravated Identity Theft – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1028A

Penalty: Mandatory two years in prison

Forfeiture – Title 18, U.S.C., Sections 981(a)(1)(C), 982(a)(2), 982(b) and Title 28 U.S.C. Section 2461(c)

AGENCIES

United States Postal Inspection Service

United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General

*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.