Investigative Case Highlights

Is serving time in federal prison and a criminal record worth some extra cash? That’s something Postal Service employees must ask themselves as criminal organizations scale up efforts to recruit them to steal financial instruments from the mail. They promise quick, easy cash in exchange for checks, credit cards, debit cards, and other valuables. What follows is a trail of destruction and, inevitably, weighty legal consequences for all involved.

A single complaint to our Hotline began the unravelling: A postal customer in Bethesda, MD, had been expecting a new credit card, only it never arrived. Instead, the card was used in an attempt to withdraw $700 in cash from an ATM in the area. Our special agents took it from there. Expert investigators don’t take isolated complaints at face value — sometimes they’re symptoms of a more complex scheme.

Many contract fraud investigations end up in civil court, and the law allows victims and the government to seek multiple damages under the False Claims Act. The added penalties — sometimes as much as three times the amount defrauded — are meant to act as a deterrent should contractors think about defrauding anyone again.

For most mail carriers in the United States, a career with the Postal Service provides steady income, generous benefits, and a one-of-a-kind connection to the community they serve. However, some squander it all by colluding with criminals who know postal employees are highly desirable prey, given their access to the vast postal network.

If you keep up with our Investigative Case Highlights , you know people who defraud the workers’ compensation program go out of their way to keep their schemes secret. We previously wrote about a case where a postal employee milked an alleged ankle injury for over 14 years while gainfully employed, and another where our special agents caught an employee dancing the night away while claiming an injury had left him totally disabled. This health care claimant investigation, however, may well take...