Maryland woman to serve nearly a decade for leading scheme, stealing over 700 checks from USPS
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. () — A Maryland woman who was the leader of a scheme that stole hundreds of checks totaling millions of dollars was sentenced to more than nine years in federal prison, the attorney's office announced.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for Maryland (USAO), a judge sentenced 24-year-old Tianna Cosby, aka 'Mendoza,' from Prince George's County, to nine years and several months in prison for conspiracy to commit mail and bank fraud and identity theft.
According to her guilty plea, from the beginning of March 2021 to at least August 2021, Cobsy conspired with four other Marylanders to steal checks from the mail, alter them and deposit money into bank accounts.
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Officials said that within those five months, the group targeted over 900 people, stealing more than 700 checks, which had a face value of over $5 million.
According to the attorney's office, Cosby stole checks from U.S. Postal Service (USPS) collection boxes. She also received checks from a 26-year-old from Suitland, who would steal them from the Washington Network Distribution Center in Capitol Heights.
The group recruited 'account mules,' whose bank accounts were used to deposit illegally acquired checks and proceeds from the scheme, and altered personal and business checks.
The attorney's office said that Cosby even laundered money by having it sent to intermediary bank accounts controlled by her co-conspirators. She also opened shell companies used to transfer money into two separate accounts.
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On Jan. 19, 2024, officers searched Cosby's home in Woodbridge, Va., where they found 27 designer bags and 14 pieces of jewelry, including rings, necklaces, bracelets, brooches and a wristwatch.
The jewelry totaled about $24,490, and the designer handbags were valued at about $113,065
According to the attorney's office, authorities also located a BMW i8 that Cosby bought for $114,296.02. In the car, police discovered a Louis Vuitton bag with 151 stolen checks, which equaled about $610,788.08.
Their investigation revealed that the checks belonged to victims from across the country.
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