A former U.S. Postal Service senior analyst has admitted to turning his taxpayer-funded role into a lucrative side hustle, taking roughly $1.5 million in kickbacks tied to millions of dollars in USPS trucking contracts. Prosecutors say the scheme steered about $15 million in service work to three companies, and the defendant now faces up to 15 years in federal prison, with sentencing set for March.
What prosecutors say
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, 52-year-old Zechariah Yi of Aurora, Colorado, pled guilty on Tuesday to one count of Receiving a Bribe by a Public Official. Prosecutors say Yi admitted soliciting and receiving approximately $1.5 million in payments and that Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marty Basu and Joshua Detzky prosecuted the case. His sentencing is scheduled for March 26, 2026.
FBI Dallas flagged the plea
The FBI Dallas Field Office highlighted the guilty plea on its Facebook page, noting that the agency worked with the Postal Service Office of Inspector General on the investigation and linking to the Justice Department statement. As posted by the FBI Dallas, the social media post offers a short summary and a link to the full press release.
How prosecutors say the scheme worked
Prosecutors say Yi used his position as a Senior Network Operations Analyst to steer USPS service contracts to three trucking companies in exchange for payments from the owners and their associates. The Justice Department release states that the contracts paid the companies about $15 million in total, while Yi received roughly $1.5 million in kickbacks.
Other defendants and what comes next
Yi is the fourth defendant to plead guilty in the broader case. Earlier guilty pleas by another USPS employee, Tai Rho, and trucking company owners Wan Jin Yoon and Hong Jin Yoon have been reported by outlets covering the same Justice Department filing. Per reporting by Yahoo, those defendants face shorter maximum penalties and are scheduled to be sentenced in early 2026.
Legal consequences
Under the bribery count that Yi pleaded to, prosecutors say he faces up to 15 years in prison and will be sentenced on March 26, 2026. The FBI Dallas post also notes that both the FBI and the Postal Service Office of Inspector General investigated the case and that the agencies continue to encourage anyone with relevant information about similar schemes to contact federal investigators.
