A former mail carrier for the United States Postal Service has been sentenced to 5½ years behind bars after being convicted for swindling more than $10 million in checks from the mail. The carrier, identified as Rashad Deon Stolden, 34, of Huntington Beach, had previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.
During his employment at the Bicentennial Post Office in Los Angeles' Fairfax district, Stolden managed to enroll others into his malfeasance, including fellow letter carrier Charlie Green, who is set to face sentencing come September 14. The duo, along with additional conspirators, engaged extensively to quickly negotiate the stolen checks using forged identity documents - an operation that spanned from 2020 through August 2024. The press release from the Department of Justice catalogues one instance where Stolden appropriated a hefty $7.3 million Treasury check and had it cashed by an accomplice.
Further delving into the pilfered goods, Stolden also helped himself to debit cards from the California Employment Development Department (EDD), which administers the state's UI program. Information from the sentencing memorandum underscores the callous nature of the theft, as Stolden and crew harvested personal details to activate and exploit the ill-gotten EDD cards. The DOJ's memo was clear: "Nowhere in [Stolden’s] voluminous communications throughout this conspiracy did he express any empathy for his victims," despite their heavy reliance on the pilfered disability and unemployment benefits.
As part of his sentence, Stolden has been ordered to pay $1,627,291 in restitution. The investigation, supported by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and the Coast Guard Investigative Services, exposed a scheme designed to siphon millions through repeated breaches of trust. Stolden and Green remain free on $50,000 bond each, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Brown of the Major Frauds Section led the prosecution.
