Investigative Case Highlights

When the theft of a $14,000 IRS refund check from the mail triggered an investigation, what our special agents uncovered would be the first clue that would unravel a criminal network exploiting one of the country’s most trusted government agencies: the U.S. Postal Service.

A complaint to our OIG Hotline alleged checks mailed to businesses in New York City’s financial district were never delivered and were instead negotiated by unknown third parties. Our data analytics showed the complaint wasn’t an isolated incident; in fact, there were many similar complaints for that area. Partnering with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, FBI, and NYPD, our special agents found a suspect: a mail handler at a post office in the district.

A mail carrier tried bankrolling his drug addiction by stealing mail, but by the time he wanted out of the wrong crowd he’d gotten into, it was too late. The case was complex enough that it took seven law enforcement agencies and two of our investigative field offices to bring the operation down.

Being short on cash is tough — but turning to crime for income is never the answer. A mail processing clerk in South Carolina recently learned this lesson the hard way.

In came a trifecta of complaints: a group of companies, a local postmaster, and a U.S. representative all contacted our Hotline to report expensive collectable coins were being stolen from the mail and sold to jewelers and pawn shops in the greater Houston area. With a single coin’s value near $12,000, the total theft to victims surpassed $400,000.