Investigative News Releases

Agent arresting suspect Office of Investigations

Working with our Law Enforcement Partners

Our special agents investigate nationwide internal crimes and fraud committed by postal employees and contractors as well as postal employee misconduct. We work with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and local prosecutors across the country to prosecute these crimes.

In some instances, we uncover much larger criminal activity being carried out by multiple individuals and organizations. In many of these cases, we partner with other federal and local law enforcement agencies to identify and hold responsible those who take advantage of the public’s trust in our postal system.

Below are links to the most recent news releases about our work.

Fentanyl Trafficker Sentenced for Distribution of 30,000 ‘Pressed’ Pills

Date Released: 09/16/2022

ABINGDON, Va. – A Smyth County, Virginia man, who ordered approximately 30,000 fentanyl pills from California and sold them in Southwest Virginia, was sentenced today to 42 months in federal prison. He will also pay the United States a $50,000 monetary judgement. Zachary Ryan Hutton, 21, of Marion, Virginia, pleaded guilty in March 2022 to knowingly possessing with the intent to distribute, as...

Jury Finds Trucking Company Defrauded USPS, Verdict Will Result in Judgment of Over $5 Million

Date Released: 09/16/2022

RALEIGH, N.C. – Yesterday, a jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina found defendants Chad Cline and BJ Trucking Company, Inc. liable for $1,679,086 worth of unauthorized fuel purchases under United States Postal Service contracts, in violation of the False Claims Act. The jury also found that while BJ Trucking was insolvent and owed a substantial debt to the United States, it transferred...

Postal Service Employee Admits Stealing Cell Phones from Mail

Date Released: 09/12/2022

NEWARK, N.J. – A Hudson County, New Jersey, woman today admitted stealing numerous cell phones from mail that passed through the United States post office where she was employed, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger, announced. Nyasia Hutchinson, 26, of Jersey City, New Jersey, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez to an information charging her with one...

Former Engineering Executive Sentenced for Rigging Bids and Defrauding North Carolina Department of Transportation

Date Released: 09/08/2022

Category: Financial Fraud

A former executive of Contech Engineered Solutions LLC was sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment yesterday in New Bern, North Carolina, for his participation in bid-rigging and fraud schemes targeting the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Executive Special Agent in Charge Kenneth Cleevely of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG) said “The USPS-OIG will...

Former Engineering Executive Sentenced for Bid Rigging and Fraud

Date Released: 09/08/2022

A former executive of Contech Engineered Solutions LLC (Contech) was sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment yesterday in New Bern, North Carolina, for his participation in bid-rigging and fraud schemes targeting the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT). Following a week-long trial in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina in January, a jury convicted...