Four men from the Philadelphia area have faced the grip of justice for their involvement in mail theft and check fraud schemes. According to a statement from the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Naod Tsegay, Fode Bangoura, Zyier Williams, and Najae Thomas were sentenced to prison terms for their roles in stealing, washing, and altering checks taken from USPS collection boxes.
Tsegay, hailing from Collingdale, earned a 42-month sentence for his part as the scheme's so-called ringleader. United States District Judge Paul S. Diamond handed down the sentence that also includes a five-year supervised release and an order to pay $11,811 in restitution. Tsegay's wrongdoing was cataloged as three counts of bank fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft, one count of possessing stolen USPS keys, and two counts of possessing stolen mail, as revealed by the U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero.
Bangoura and Williams, who also confessed to their bank fraud charges, were each given six-month imprisonment stints and five years of supervised release. The courts commanded Bangoura and Williams to pay $7,711 and $4,100, respectively, to make amends for their financial thievery. Their recruitment drive ensnared individuals into parting with their bank account information to facilitate the fraudulent deposits of the altered checks.
In the aftermath of the crimes, authorities discovered Tsegay with a trove of stolen checks and money orders alongside USPS Arrow Keys, granting access to the blue collection boxes. Adding to this illegal harvest, the amount of theft attempted by the group exceeded $150,000. Najae Thomas, who was judged separately, also entered guilty pleas to similar charges including five counts of bank fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft. Thomas received a 61-month prison sentence and was ordered to fork over $61,688 in restitution. Found possessing hundreds of stolen checks and four USPS Arrow Keys, it was evident that Thomas had dipped his hands deeply into the pilfering pot.
The efforts to unwrap this cascade of check fraud were orchestrated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and spearheaded by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Rice. “The amount of mail stolen and the number of checks these defendants sought to alter and cash is significant. My office, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and our partners won’t allow criminals who target the U.S. Postal Service to disrupt the nation’s mail system and commit identity theft with impunity. As these cases prove, we will prosecute, and you will be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Romero, as noted by the U.S. Attorney's Office. The Yeadon Borough Police Department also contributed to the successful prosecution of Tsegay.
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