Union Man Bribed Postal Workers To Get Stolen Credit Cards: AG

UNION, NJ — A Union man was among two charged for their roles in a conspiracy to use stolen credit cards taken from the mail by U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employees, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Olagoke Araromi, 22, of Union and Elhadj Fofana, of Orange are charged by complaint with one count each of bank fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft.

Araromi is additionally charged with one count of giving bribes to USPS employees. Araromi was arrested Tuesday morning and had his initial appearance in the afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre in Newark federal court. Fofana remains at large.

From July 2017 to May 2018, Araromi and others bribed USPS employees with cash to remove envelopes containing credit cards from the mail, according to documents filed in this case and statements made in court.

Text messages show Araromi asking USPS employees to look for and take credit cards issued by certain banks that he preferred, promising to pay them for taking as many credit cards as possible, and arranging meetings to pick up the stolen credit cards, according to the report.

Then Araromi, Fofana, and others used the stolen credit cards to make unauthorized purchases of retail goods, such as Apple MacBook Pro devices and other Apple products, throughout New Jersey and New York from July 2017 to February 2018, according to the report.

Video and photos from surveillance recordings show the men making he purchases at the stores, according to the report.

The bank fraud conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

The aggravated identity theft charge carries a mandatory sentence of two years in prison, which must run consecutive to any other term imposed. The bribery charge is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

(Image via Shutterstock)

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