Investigative Case Highlights

A recently closed provider fraud case was so extensive that it nearly stretches the imagination — not just in terms of scope but also in complexity. This case dates to December 2015, when USPS OIG investigators initiated a review of an unusually high level of Postal Service-related claims for compounded medications — that is, two or more ingredients mixed to create a medication tailored to patients’ needs. The claims had been filed with the Department of Labor (DOL) Office of Workers’ Compensati

We’ve all heard stories of drug addicts stealing from friends and family to support their addiction. However, this is a case of one postal worker stealing from his customers to support his fentanyl addiction. In January 2022, we received a hotline tip that six cash vault packages for Verizon were missing. The tracking numbers to the Verizon Priority Mail parcels the deposits were in corresponded to a former city carrier’s route in Live Oak, Florida.

Sometimes, fraud schemes involving Postal Service contractors aren’t open and shut cases. And sometimes, they come from unexpected places and require extensive collaboration with other law enforcement agencies to bring those perpetrating crimes to justice.

We recently closed a claimant fraud case involving a postal employee that stretched from 2009 to 2021. In early 2007, this employee had filed a workers’ compensation claim alleging she sprained her ankle while on the job. The Department of Labor (DOL) approved her claim and began issuing FECA benefit payments two months later. Our agents investigated the case as early as 2009, after receiving a Postal Inspection Service referral alleging the employee owned a catering business.

The U.S. Postal Service prides itself on an exclusive network that reaches every household in America. Unfortunately, that is precisely what some criminal groups look to exploit to illegally traffic narcotics across state lines. And while the incidence of postal employee collusion is small, it does happen and typically with dire consequences for those involved. In a recent multi-agency investigation, OIG agents responded to a source within USPS about an Indiana postal employee who was allegedl