Due to their involvement in check fraud and mail theft operations, four men from the Philadelphia area have been brought to jail. The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said that Naod Tsegay, Fode Bangoura, Zyier Williams, and Najae Thomas were all given jail sentences for their involvement in the theft, alteration, and washing of checks that were taken from USPS collection boxes.
Collingdale native Tsegay received a 42-month sentence for his role as the alleged ringleader of the plot. The term, which also includes a five-year supervised release and a $11,811 restitution order, was imposed by United States District Judge Paul S. Diamond. U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero disclosed that Tsegay had committed three charges of bank fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft, one count of possessing stolen USPS keys, and two counts of possessing stolen mail.
Williams and Bangoura, who also admitted to the bank fraud counts, received five years of supervised release and six-month jail sentences. To atone for their financial theft, the courts ordered Williams and Bangoura to pay $4,100 and $7,711, respectively. In order to enable the fraudulent deposits of the forged checks, their recruitment campaign tricked people into disclosing their bank account details.
The blue collection boxes were made available to investigators after they found Tsegay in possession of a cache of pilfered checks and money orders together with USPS Arrow Keys following the crimes. In addition to this illicit harvest, the crew attempted almost $150,000 worth of theft. In addition, Najae Thomas, who was tried separately, pled guilty to comparable charges, which included three counts of aggravated identity theft and five counts of bank fraud. Thomas was sentenced to 61 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $61,688 in restitution. Thomas had clearly dug his hands far into the pilfering pot, as evidenced by the discovery of four USPS Arrow Keys and hundreds of stolen checks.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, led by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Rice, coordinated the attempts to unravel this check fraud cascade. It is noteworthy how many checks these defendants attempted to cash and alter, as well as how much mail was stolen. Criminals that attack the U.S. Postal Service will not be allowed to disrupt the country’s mail system and perpetrate identity theft with impunity, according to my office, the USPS, and our partners. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Attorney Romero stated, “We will prosecute, and you will be held accountable, as these cases prove.” The successful prosecution of Tsegay was also aided by the Yeadon Borough Police Department.
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