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.

St. Louis Man Admits a Series of Frauds

Date Released: 09/24/2025

Category: Financial Fraud

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis man who was caught with the information of at least 10 different identity theft victims pleaded guilty Wednesday and admitted committing identity theft, check fraud and pandemic fraud. Darryon M. Sutherlin, 29, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to two counts of identity theft.

New Orleans Man Guilty of Mail Destruction

Date Released: 09/23/2025

Category: Internal Mail Theft

NEW ORLEANS, LA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that PJ WHITAKER (“WHITAKER”), age 36, a resident of New Orleans, pled guilty on September 16, 2025, before United States District Judge Greg G. Guidry to the two-count indictment charging him with destruction of mail, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1703.

St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison for Bank Fraud Committed with Checks Stolen from the Mail

Date Released: 09/22/2025

Category: Internal Mail Theft

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry on Friday sentenced a man to 42 months in prison for orchestrating a check fraud scheme using checks that had been stolen from the mail. Malik Jones, 28, of Berkeley, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in October to one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Rensselaer County Man Pleads Guilty to Money Order Fraud

Date Released: 09/18/2025

Category: Financial Fraud

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Matthew Dundas, age 26, of Petersburgh, New York, pled guilty on Tuesday to money order fraud. Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Matthew M. 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.

Illegal Alien and Arizona Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Mailing Kilograms of Fentanyl to Atlanta

Date Released: 09/18/2025

Category: Narcotics

ATLANTA – Walter Alexander Argueta-Aguilar, an illegal alien from El Salvador, and Jorge Manuel Zamora Cano have been sentenced for their roles in shipping and distributing tens of thousands of fentanyl-laced pills disguised as prescription medication. “Argueta-Aguilar and Cano profited from the opioid epidemic and endangered thousands of lives by trafficking fentanyl-laced pills resembling actual medicine,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg