Former Chicago, Suburban Postal Workers Stole Credit Cards: Feds

CHICAGO — Seven former U.S. Postal workers from Chicago and two more from the suburbs have been charged with participating in schemes to steal credit cards that were sent to residents in the mail, the U.S, Attorney for Northern Illinois said on Tuesday.

Indictments against the former employees were unsealed in federal court in Chicago and charges were announced as part of the ongoing Operation Cash On Delivery probe, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois. Those who were charged were indicted as part of an ongoing investigation into other former postal worker and actions that date back to 2019.

Among those charged on Tuesday were Charlese Bennett, 31, Chicago, Shuntonese Richardson, 24, Willowbrook, Latiyah Davidson, 28, Chicago, Brandy Walker, 33, Chicago, all of which were charged with conspiring to steal mail. Others, who were charged in the conspiracy included Daray Ross Hines, 25, of Chicago, Tramont Miller, 30, of Wheaton, Mahlik Washington, 30, of Chicago, and William Crawford, 33, of Chicago. Kennethia Howliet, 27, was charged with knowingly receiving and possessing stolen mail.

As part of the scheme, some of the defendants unlawfully obtained postal customers’ personal identifying information, including dates of birth and Social Security numbers, which was then used to fraudulently activate the stolen cards, the charges allege. The newly charged USPS employees delivered mail in Chicago or processed and sorted the mail at a USPS facility in suburban Palatine, prosecutors said.

Court documents show that Miller recruited postal workers to steal the mail that included credit cards and other financial tools, the U.S. Attorney said. The documents stated that Bennett stole the credit cards and then provided them to Miller and Hines in exchange for cash and other valuable items.

As part of the schemes, credit cards were activated and used by Miller and Hines as part of the scheme and that the co-conspirators used text messages and Snapchat to exchange messages about the scheme as well as to trade images of credit cards that had been stolen, court documents show.

The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, prosecutors said. If convicted, the court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.