Former USPS employee found guilty of stealing over $1.6M to fund lavish lifestyle

Yahoo

17-03-2025

A former employee of the U.S. Postal Service was found guilty of stealing over $1.6 million through mail theft and bank fraud, the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia said.
Hachikosela Muchimba, 44, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a federal jury March 13 on charges of mail theft and bank fraud that "illegally netted him over $1.6 million," U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., and Special Agent in Charge Kathleen Woodson, of the U.S. Postal Service-Office of the Inspector General announced in a news release Friday.
According to court documents, the defendant was an employee of the postal service between December 2020 and March 2023 when "he executed a scheme to steal U.S. Treasury checks and private party checks from the U.S. mail."
"Muchimba then deposited the checks, which he either altered and/or falsely endorsed, into bank accounts under his control," the news release said, adding "Muchimba altered some of the checks by removing the name of the proper payee on the checks and replacing it with his own name."
Muchimba was also captured making deposits and withdrawals of the funds on the bank's security footage, the attorney's office said, adding the "total amount of the U.S. Treasury checks fraudulently deposited into Muchimba's various bank accounts was just over $1.6 million."
The attorney's office said Muchimba used the funds he collected to fund a "lavish lifestyle that included international travel, stays at luxury hotels, and purchases at gentlemen's clubs."
Check theft scheme: Former USPS employee, co-conspirators stole $24 million, feds say
Besides fraud and theft, Muchimba was also "found guilty at trial of unlawful procurement of naturalization," the attorney's office said, explaining the defendant provided false information to "U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officers by telling them that he had not committed any crimes for which he had not been arrested."
U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras has scheduled Muchimba's sentencing for Aug. 8 and has detained him until then, the attorney's office said.
The maximum penalty for bank fraud is 30 years in prison and five years for mail theft, according to the attorney's office. For unlawful procurement of naturalization, the maximum penalty is 10 years of incarceration and possible administrative denaturalization.
"The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes," the news release said. "Muchimba's sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors."
When contacted by USA TODAY Monday afternoon, Muchimba's lawyer Steve Roy Kiersh said he has "no comment to make."
This story was updated to add new information.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [e-mail] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Former USPS worker stole $1.6M in mail theft, bank fraud, feds say