STOLEN MAIL: Don’t trust the US Postal Service for any mail containing checks in Southern Maryland; the thieves are making Postal system even more unreliable

ARE ROBBERS WORKING FOR
THE POSTAL SYSTEM?

U.S. Postal Carrier And Co-Conspirator Are Charged For Extensive Mail Theft Scheme

LEONARDTOWN, MD. – In one of the last missives issued by outgoing Sheriff Tim Cameron shortly before he leaves to ride the cop rodeo in Wyoming as the top Cowpoke Colonel of the Wyoming Highway Patrol, his press machine churned out the following warning to the public to quit putting checks in the mail.

Due to the excessive number of intercepted checks in the US Mail in recent months in Southern Maryland, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Department advised residents to refrain from sending checks through the US Postal Service, as the odds are great that thieves will make your payments their own loot.

The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Department continues to forward numerous reports of local check fraud to the US Postal Inspection Service for their investigations.

Both personal and business checks have been intercepted in the US Mail, with checks washed, written and cashed for fraudulent and exorbitant amounts.

The Sheriff’s Office advises citizens to utilize online payment methods or to make payments over the phone to pay bills at this time.

To report incidents of check or mail fraud to the Sheriff’s Office, please use the Citizens Online Reporting System at https://www.firstsheriff.com/citizenreport/ Mail fraud, mail theft and other postal issues can be reported to the US Postal Inspection Service at https://www.uspis.gov/report

Elise Stefanik alleges USPS workers stole her campaign mail, up to $20,000 in donations

The Co-Conspirator Allegedly Sold some of the Stolen Checks Online in $8 Million Theft Scheme

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Two criminal indictments were unsealed in federal court on Nov. 21, 2022, following the arrest of a U.S. Postal Carrier and a co-conspirator for their involvement in an extensive mail theft scheme, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

Promptly pickup mail

Try not to leave letters and packages in your mailbox or at your door for any length of time

Postal Service

Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which oversees Charlotte; Jeff Krafels, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General (USPS-OIG) for the Mid-Atlantic Area Field Office (MAAFO), which oversees Charlotte, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.

Kiara Padgett, 28, of Waxhaw, N.C., is charged with one count of bank fraud conspiracy and 10 counts of mail theft by a postal employee. A separate indictment charges Terrell Alexander Hager Jr., 23, of Charlotte, with one count of bank fraud conspiracy and seven counts of possession of stolen mail.

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Deposit outgoing mail into USPS^® Blue Collection Boxes before the last collection or inside your local Post Office™

Postal Service

According to allegations contained in Padgett’s indictment, Padgett was employed by the U.S. Postal Service as a mail carrier with a postal route in West Charlotte. From August 2021 to November 2022, Padgett allegedly used her position as a postal carrier to steal incoming and outgoing checks of businesses and individuals, which she then sold to other individuals located in Charlotte and Maryland. The indictment alleges that the total face value of the checks Padgett stole was more than $8.3 million. The indictment further alleges that between August 2021 and June 2022, Padgett received payments for her role in the scheme totaling at least $13,698.

The indictment alleges that the total face value of the checks Padgett stole was more than $8.3 million.

U. S. Attorney Dena King

The indictment filed against Hager alleges that between August 2021 and November 2022, Hager and his co-conspirators obtained stolen checks from Padgett. The co-conspirators allegedly deposited the stolen checks into bank accounts Hager and others controlled, and then made cash withdrawals before the financial institutions detected the fraud. Over the course of the scheme, Hager and his co-conspirators allegedly deposited more than $27,000 in stolen checks and money orders. Hager also allegedly posted online for sale over 400 stolen checks totaling over $7.3 million. The checks posted by Hager were allegedly stolen from Padgett’s postal route in West Charlotte. According to today’s court proceedings, Hager was on probation with the state of North Carolina when he committed the fraud.

Padgett was released on bond following her court hearing. If convicted, Padgett faces a maximum prison term of 30 years and a $1 million fine for the bank fraud conspiracy charge, and five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the 10 counts of theft of mail by a postal employee.

Hager remains in federal custody. If convicted, he is facing a maximum prison term of 30 years and a $1 million fine for the charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the seven charges of possession of stolen mail.

The details contained in this indictment are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The USPIS, USPS-OIG, and CMPD investigated the case. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny G. Sugar of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.