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.

Texas Pharmacist Sentenced to Over 17 Years in Prison and Ordered to Forfeit $405M in Assets for Defrauding the Department of Labor

Date Released: 03/10/2025

Category: Financial Fraud

Forfeiture Marks Largest-Ever Secured by the Department’s Health Care Fraud Unit On Feb. 21, Texas pharmacist Dehshid “David” Nourian, 62, of Plano, was sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison and ordered to pay over $115 million in restitution for his role in a $145 million scheme to defraud the Department of Labor through the submission of fraudulent claims for prescription compound creams. On March 6, the court also forfeited $405 million in assets tied to Nourian’s fraud and money...

Two Mobile Defendants Sentenced to Prison for Massive Counterfeit Check Fraud Scheme Targeting the U.S. Mail

Date Released: 03/07/2025

Category: Financial Fraud

According to court documents, Brian Christopher Williams III, 25, and Kalaijha Tomeco Ranier Lewis, 29, schemed to defraud various federally insured banks and credit unions between November 2021 and June 2023. To carry out the fraud scheme, Williams recruited Lewis, who worked at the post office on Saint Joseph Street in Mobile, to steal hundreds of high-value business checks and sell them to Williams. In turn, Williams and other coconspirators sold the stolen checks via an illicit online market

Farmington Hills Man Convicted in a Racially Motivated Assault of a Postal Worker

Date Released: 02/28/2025

Category: General Crimes

DETROIT – A Farmington Hills man was convicted by a federal jury yesterday on charges of assaulting a United States Postal Worker, Acting United States Attorney Julie A. Beck announced today. Beck was joined in the announcement by Rodney Hopkins, Inspector in Charge of the U.S Postal Inspection Service's Detroit Division. Russell Valleau, 62, was convicted following a three-day jury trial before United States District Judge Nancy G. Edmunds. The jury also unanimously found that Valleau...

Seasonal Postal Employee Sentenced for Stealing Mail

Date Released: 02/27/2025

Category: Internal Mail Theft

PROVIDENCE – A U.S Postal Service seasonal employee on the job for one month during the 2023 holiday season has been sentenced to federal probation for his role in a scheme to steal the contents of U.S. mail, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom. Willie Estrella, 32, of Providence, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to three years of federal probation. Estrella pleaded guilty in November 2024 to conspiracy to steal mail and theft of mail by a pos

Jefferson County Man Sentenced for Cocaine Charge

Date Released: 02/26/2025

Category: Narcotics

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Jamie Green, age 47, of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, was sentenced to 70 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine. According to court documents and statements made in court, the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General intercepted a package containing more than two pounds of cocaine mailed from Los Angeles, California, to Green’s address in Jefferson County, West Virginia. Investigators...