Investigative News Releases

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Emilio Chirico, 57, of Cicero, New York, was sentenced on October 29 in federal court in Utica to 6 months of imprisonment after previously pleading guilty to wire fraud and misappropriation of postal funds. Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Area Field Office of the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG) made the announcement.

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. - A former resident of Roaring Spring, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 46 months of imprisonment, to be followed by six years of supervised release, on his conviction of violating federal narcotics laws related to a six-month Title III wiretap investigation into drug trafficking in and around Blair, Cambria, Centre, and Clearfield counties, First Assistant United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced.

A federal grand jury in New Haven has returned a 19-count indictment charging MICHAEL ATKINSON, 27, of East Hartford; ROLAND McTAGGART, 27, of Hartford; SHARIF DJIBO, 28, of East Hartford; ROMARIO ROSE, 31, of Newington; JASHAWN ATKINSON, 23, of Hartford; and ADRIAN OLIVERO, 53, of New Britain, with offenses related to the cashing of stolen U.S. Treasury checks at a U.S. Post Office in Hartford. The indictment was returned on October 28, 2025, and Michael Atkinson, McTaggart, Djibo, Rose, Jasha

INDIANAPOLIS- Kimberly Dumes, 43, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to three years of probation after pleading guilty to three counts of wire fraud. According to court documents, between June 2020 and June 2021, Kimberly Dumes submitted three fraudulent applications for federal economic relief, resulting in a total loss of $51,664. During this time, Dumes was employed with the U.S. Postal Service.

ATLANTA - Former mail carrier Vershun Weaver has pleaded guilty to stealing U.S. Government treasury checks from recipients on his U.S. Postal Service mail route and fraudulently obtaining a pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. "Weaver abused his position and undermined the work of honest public servants,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg.