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 Department of Homeland Security Employee Convicted of Scheme to Defraud the United States

Date Released: 04/11/2022

A former Acting Branch Chief of the Information Technology Division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS-OIG) was convicted today by a jury of multiple federal charges stemming from the theft of proprietary software and sensitive databases from the U.S. government. Murali Y. Venkata, 56, of Aldie, Virginia, was convicted of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government, theft of government property, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and obstruction. Venkata, along with co...

Postal Worker Sentenced for Issuing Money Orders Without Receiving Full Payment

Date Released: 04/07/2022

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States District Judge Lance M. Africk sentenced Shannel Smith, age 41, of Orleans Parish, Louisiana, to three (3) years of probation for issuing money orders without receiving full payment, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. The sentencing occurred on April 6, 2022. According to court documents, beginning in May 2019 and continuing until August 2019, Smith, being an employee of the Postal Service, for the purpose of fraudulently enabling herself to obtain and...

California Marketer Sentenced for Paying Millions in Kickbacks to Unlawfully Induce Prescriptions

Date Released: 03/30/2022

INDIANAPOLIS – Manuel J. Bojorquez, 44, of Anaheim, California, was sentenced to 36 months of probation, with 18 months to be served on home confinement, and ordered to pay over $3.3 million in restitution for offering and paying kickbacks to physicians to prescribe compounded medications. According to court documents, Bojorquez was the owner and operator of MD Medical Distribution LLC d/b/a DynaMD, a California-based company. Beginning in 2013, and continuing through 2016, Bojorquez served as a...

Federal Investigations Result in Six Convictions and Recovery of Over $8.7 Million

Date Released: 03/30/2022

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced the criminal and civil resolutions of multi-year investigations of various health care fraud schemes involving prescriptions for compounded medications formulated by Heritage Therapeutics, LLC, a Delaware County pharmacy. The investigations yielded six criminal convictions and recovered over $8.7 million in criminal forfeitures, criminal restitution, and civil settlement payments. From 2013 into 2015, Heritage formulated...

Second Doctor Pleads Guilty to Workers’ Comp Fraud Conspiracy

Date Released: 03/29/2022

FAYETTEVILLE - An Alexandria, La., physician pleaded guilty today to having conspired to violate three different federal statutes in connection with a scheme to defraud both federal and private workers’ compensation insurers. U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the plea hearing, in which Robert Clay Smith, 60, waived indictment by a grand jury and pleaded guilty to a criminal information charging him with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, wire fraud, and illegal...