Investigative News Releases

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.

Former Postal Worker Pleads Guilty to Issuing Money Orders Without Receiving Full Payment

Date Released: 10/28/2021

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that SHANNEL SMITH, age 41, of Orleans Parish, Louisiana, pled guilty to issuing money orders without receiving full payment in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 500. According to court documents, beginning in May 2019 and continuing until August 2019, SMITH, being an employee of the United States Postal Service, for the purpose of fraudulently enabling herself to obtain and receive, directly and indirectly...

Camden County Man Admits Role in Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Scheme

Date Released: 10/27/2021

CAMDEN, N.J. – A Camden County, New Jersey, man today admitted his role in a scheme to obtain money through fraudulently obtained refund checks issued by the U.S. Treasury, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced. Jorge Gutierrez, 42, of Merchantville, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler to an indictment charging him with conspiracy to defraud the United States. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: Stolen Identity...

Thirteen Defendants Plead Guilty in $126 Million Compounding Fraud Scheme

Date Released: 10/27/2021

Thirteen defendants, including three compounding pharmacy owners, three physicians, two pharmacists, and three patient recruiters, pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Texas to a years-long, multi-state scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) and TRICARE. According to court documents, the defendants submitted false and fraudulent claims to the OWCP and TRICARE for prescriptions for compounded and other drugs prescribed to...

Ex-USPS Supervisor Sent to Prison for Stealing Marijuana from Confiscated Package

Date Released: 10/26/2021

BRUNSWICK, GA: A U.S. Postal Service supervisor who admitted stealing marijuana from a confiscated package has been sentenced to federal prison. Howard Kerns, 53, of Dearing, Ga., was sentenced to two months in prison followed by two years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Theft of Mail Matter by a Postal Employee, a felony crime, said David H. Estes, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Kerns also was terminated from the U.S. Postal Service. As described in...

Postal Manager Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges

Date Released: 10/22/2021

BOSTON – A U.S. Postal employee pleaded guilty today in connection with stealing mail believed to contain controlled substances. Shawn M. Herron, 44, of Whitman, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute and one count of theft of mail by a postal employee. U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for Feb. 17, 2022. Herron was indicted in August 2020. Since September 2005, Herron has been employed with the Postal Service...