USPS Mail Carrier Who Targeted Westchester Homes In Fraud, ID Theft Plot, Gets Federal Time

MOUNT VERNON, NY — A former mail carrier will be getting a new uniform.

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced last week that Tameka Babulal, a/k/a "Tameka Williams," a/k/a "Sharniece Williams," a/k/a "Meek Williams," a former USPS mail carrier assigned to Mount Vernon, was sentenced to 39 months in prison for stealing checks, credit cards, financial mail, and personal identifying information from victims on her mail route, and using that stolen mail and information to commit fraud and aggravated identity theft.

The sentence included 15 months for mail theft, fraud, and false statement offenses, followed by a mandatory 24-month sentence for aggravated identity theft.

In addition to prison, the 38-year-old was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution and forfeiture.

SEE ALSO: Mail Carrier Targeted Westchester Homes In Fraud, ID Theft Plot: Feds

"Postal workers are entrusted with some of the most sensitive materials Americans send and receive: checks, credit cards, tax documents, Social Security information, and financial mail," Clayton said. "Tameka Babulal betrayed that trust by stealing from the very people on the mail routes she was paid to serve and then using their mail and identities to commit fraud. Today's sentence makes clear that those who corrupt the mail system from within and exploit the public’s trust for personal gain will be held accountable."

According to court documents, from December 2022 through May 23, 2024, Babulal conspired with others to possess, steal, and misuse mail stolen from the USPS in Mount Vernon.

Prosecutors say she stole hundreds of mail items from hundreds of victims, including checks, credit cards, financial mail, tax documents, Social Security cards, and other sensitive materials. Babulal kept those items at the Hempstead home she shared with her husband and co-conspirator, Joel Babulal.

Victims included elderly people in their 90s, young adults in their early 20s, business owners, churchgoers, military personnel, and other everyday people, according to the DOJ.

When law enforcement executed a search warrant at the Babulal home on May 23, 2024, officers found dozens of checks, treasury checks, and money orders in victims' names, including blank or washed checks; 51 credit cards in other people’s names; unopened financial mail appearing to contain credit cards or checks; several Social Security cards and tax documents in other people's names; bundles of unopened mail and packages; and a USPS bin filled with victims' undelivered mail.

Prosecutors say that Babulal used the stolen mail to carry out an extensive credit card, check, and identity theft fraud scheme involving dozens of victims.

Her credit card scheme involved at least around $40,922.41 in fraudulent transactions using stolen cards. In addition, Babulal's check fraud scheme involved $13,510 in fraudulent transactions, and her possession of at least an additional $78,705.05 in checks and money orders.

In order to commit her crimes, Babulal and her co-conspirators used several means of identification, such as victims' names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, addresses, and other identifying information to fraudulently open accounts, submit credit card applications, activate payment cards, and attempt transactions.

The investigation also found that Babulal made false statements to obtain her USPS position. In her employment application, she falsely claimed that she had previously worked at a Taco Bell restaurant under a supervisor named "Mark Khan." However, "Mark Khan" was not a real person, and both the name "Mark Khan" and the phone number she listed for him were used by Babulal's husband and co-conspirator, Joel Babulal.

On March 18, Tameka Babulal pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal and unlawfully possess mail, theft of mail by a postal employee, unlawful possession of mail, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and false statements. Joel Babulal pleaded guilty to conspiring with his wife and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 14.

Clayton praised the investigative work of the USPS, the Office of Inspector General, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. The case is being handled by the Office's White Plains Division, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Reyhan Watson, John Sarlitto, and James McMahon in charge of the prosecution.