Investigative News Releases

WICHITA, KAN. – A former U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employee pleaded guilty to using her position as postmaster to steal tens of thousands of dollars in government funds. According to court documents, Joyce L. Smith, 51, of Wichita pleaded guilty to one count of theft by government employee. Smith previously worked as the postmaster for a post office in Scott City, Kansas. Between January 2023 and...

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DWAYNE WEST (“WEST”) , age 24, was sentenced on May 21, 2026, to one year of probation and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee by U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle. WEST previously plead guilty to unlawfully delaying, opening and destroying mail in his possession, in violation of Title 18, United States Code...

Baltimore, Maryland – A former postal employee pled guilty in federal court to charges connected to a check-fraud scheme. Derrick Stewart, 34, of Baltimore, Maryland, pled guilty to federal mail theft by a postal employee, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft stemming from conduct while he worked as a clerk at a mail processing and distribution center in Baltimore.

Baltimore, Maryland – A former postal employee pled guilty in federal court to charges connected to a check-fraud scheme. Derrick Stewart, 34, of Baltimore, Maryland, pled guilty to federal mail theft by a postal employee, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft stemming from conduct while he worked as a clerk at a mail processing and distribution center in Baltimore.

ATLANTA – Shamarri Tache Brooks has pleaded guilty to federal bank fraud and aggravated identity theft charges in connection with a scheme arising from the widespread theft of checks from the mail. “Brooks used his music and social media accounts to promote fraud as a lifestyle rather than a scourge,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg.