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Five former letter carriers with the United States Postal Service were among 11 people charged Thursday with stealing credit cards from the mail.
The 18-month conspiracy involved letter carriers stealing credit cards and other financial instruments from the mail in order to sell them for cash or other items, federal prosecutors said.
Two defendants even obtained people’s social security numbers and dates of birth, allowing them to activate stolen credit cards and use them at stores such as Best Buy, Walmart and Meijer, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. of the Northern District of Illinois.
Three Chicago women – Rebecca Okunoren, 28, Monique Love, 29, and Dominique Sykes, 28 – are among the former letter carriers accused of conspiring to steal mail and commit fraud from unauthorized access devices, prosecutors said. The other two indicted letter carriers are Jessica Jefferson, 32, of Broadview, and Myiesha Weaver, 34, of College Park, Ga.
Six other Chicago-area residents are also charged with conspiracy to steal mail: Davey Hines, 28; Billye Harris, 26; Terrance Scales, 29; Stephon Johnson, 33; Loreal Ross, 31; and Brittnay Shepard, 28.
Hines, Harris, Johnson and Ross have also been charged with unauthorized access device fraud and aggravated identity theft, prosecutors said.
“These arrests represent our commitment to work with our law enforcement partners to maintain the integrity and trust in US mail,” said Andre Martin, special agent in charge of the Great Region field office. Chicago Lakes from the US Postal Service. “The majority of postal workers are hardworking civil servants dedicated to transporting mail to its right destination.”
Several defendants were arrested Thursday and have already appeared in court, prosecutors said.
The federal investigation, called Operation Cash on Delivery, already led to charges last summer against five other people, including four former Postal Service employees.
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