The conspiracy lasted 18 months and involved mail carriers stealing credit cards and other financial instruments to sell them for cash or other items, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in the northern district of Illinois.
Even two of the defendants obtained people’s social security numbers and birth dates, which allowed them to activate the stolen credit cards and use them at stores like Best Buy, Fry’s Electronics, Walmart and Meijer. , according to prosecutors.
Three Chicago women – Rebecca Okunoren, 28, Monique Love, 29, and Dominique Sykes, 28 – are among former mail companies accused of conspiring to steal mail and commit fraud on devices. unauthorized access, according to prosecutors. The other two accused mail carriers are Jessica Jefferson, 32, of Broadview, and Myiesha Weaver, 34, of College Park, Georgia.
Six more Chicago area residents were also charged with conspiracy to steal mail. They are:
Davey Hines, 28;
Billye Harris, 26;
Terrans Stairs, 29;
Stephon Johnson, 33;
Loreal Ross, 31; i
Brittnay Shepard, 28 years old.
Hines, Harris, Johnson and Ross were also charged with fraud in unauthorized access devices and aggravated identity theft, prosecutors said.
“These arrests represent our commitment to work with our police officers to maintain integrity and trust in the U.S. mail,” said Andre Martin, special agent in charge of the local office in the area of Chicago Great Lakes of the U.S. Postal Service. “Most postal employees are hardworking officials dedicated to moving mail to its proper destination.”
Several of the defendants were arrested on Thursday and have already begun appearing in court, according to prosecutors.
The federal investigation, called Operation Reimbursement, has already led to charges against five more people, including four former USPS employees, last summer.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire – Copyright Chicago Sun-Times 2021.)