According to court documents, in November of 2025, Robertsdale Alabama Police Department responded to Chandler’s apartment after receiving a call reporting the discovery of a large volume of undelivered mail. Officers found undelivered mail scattered throughout the apartment, including several envelopes containing celebration cards that had been opened. The mail recovered from the apartment was enough to fill eight postal delivery bins. An additional 66 empty bins were recovered from the apartment.

None of the mail recovered from Chandler’s apartment was addressed to him, and Chandler was not authorized to store or open mail that was not addressed to him. Community members along Chandler’s route described the impact the interruption of their mail service had on their daily lives.

“A large part of the mission of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is to ensure public trust in the mail.  When individuals challenge that mission, postal inspectors will aggressively investigate and remain steadfast in our resolve to seek justice,” said Shameka Jackson, Inspector-in-Charge of the Houston Division from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “As a contract driver, Timothy Chandler betrayed the trust of the American public, but he is not representative of the honesty and integrity of hard-working postal employees and contractors serving our nation today. We would like to thank the Robertsdale Police Department for their assistance in this investigation.”

“Postal carriers are entrusted with an important responsibility to ensure that members of the public receive their mail in a timely and secure manner,” said U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello. “Anyone violating public trust will be held accountable for their actions.”

The United States Postal Inspection Service and the Robertsdale Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney S. Gaillard Ladd prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

On September 15, 2026, Nicole DeStefano, 52, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines to one count of embezzlement of labor union assets and one count of falsifying an annual financial report filed by a labor union.

In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, from 2015 through 2022, DeStefano served as the secretary-treasurer for the American Postal Workers Union Local 776 in Altoona. As the secretary-treasurer, she was responsible for maintaining all financial records, preparing annual reports, and issuing payments on behalf of Local 776. In September 2022, a member of Local 776 determined that the union’s 2021 annual financial report reflected abnormal disbursements from prior years. DeStefano had signed the financial report as both the treasurer and president, but had not provided notice either that she would be signing the report as the president or permitting union members to examine the financial records. The Blair Township Police Department opened an investigation, and law enforcement obtained a search warrant for DeStefano’s bank records.

Those bank records document that DeStefano wrote checks to herself from the union accounts—including, between December 2019 and August 2022, approximately 42 unauthorized checks totaling $30,411.68—as well as to “cash.” An audit of the union bank accounts also identified 43 unauthorized debit transactions, totaling almost $20,000. DeStefano omitted disbursing money to herself in annual financial reports that she filed with the Secretary of Labor for three consecutive years. In September 2022, DeStefano transferred $8,500 from her account into the union bank account and resigned her position with the union.

Judge Haines scheduled sentencing for January 19, 2027. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to five years in prison, a fine of the greater of $10 million or twice the gross pecuniary gain to DeStefano, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. By virtue of her felony conviction of embezzlement, DeStefano will be precluded from holding union office for a 13-year period.

Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Blair Township Police Department and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor- Management Standards conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of DeStefano.

According to court records, between August and September 2024, Juckno was found in possession of more than 8,500 pieces of mail that he had held onto and failed to deliver to his customers. The mail included sensitive items such as California EDD correspondence, financial records, insurance records, medical correspondence, tax records, and utility bills. He was placed on leave and then resigned his position as a mail carrier shortly after this discovery.

The USPS Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Banister and Joseph Barton are prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Juckno faces a maximum sentence of five years federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, co-defendants Cullen and Ferranti participated in a conspiracy to traffic in fentanyl wherein the drug distribution resulted in the deaths of three individuals. The co-defendants each previously pled guilty to the charges.

“Cullen and Ferranti used the dark web, cryptocurrency and the U.S. mail to distribute deadly fentanyl into communities across the country, and three people lost their lives as a result,” said HSI Philadelphia acting Special Agent in Charge Nathan Abel. “Today’s sentences reflect the seriousness of their crimes and the strength of HSI Philadelphia’s partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. HSI will continue working with our federal, state and local partners to identify and dismantle drug trafficking networks wherever they operate, online or off, and to seek justice for the victims and families devastated by these crimes.”

“These sentences reflect the seriousness of using the U.S. Mail to distribute deadly narcotics.” Stated Christopher Nielsen, Inspector in Charge of the Philadelphia Division for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “The Postal Inspection Service remains committed to identifying and dismantling criminal networks that misuse the mail and holding those responsible accountable. We thank our partners at Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania for their exceptional work in bringing this case to a successful conclusion.”

This case was the result of a joint investigation between Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) into a darknet vendor who was engaged in the sale of opioids over the internet. The opioids were sold in exchange for cryptocurrency and then distributed via the United States Mail. The various parcels containing drugs were sent from locations in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. Beginning in October of 2022, undercover agents conducted various purchases from the darknet vendor which were seized and later searched and found to contain fentanyl. During the course of the investigation, law enforcement determined that the darknet vendor profile was being run by co-defendants Cullen and Ferranti. In February of 2023, undercover agents executed a search warrant at the Cullen/Ferranti residence and recovered United States Currency, various electronic devices, drug ledgers consistent with narcotics distribution, cryptocurrency cold storage wallets, and controlled substances themselves. Law enforcement identified almost 1,000 entries in the drug ledgers, dating back to the summer of 2021, mailed to 49 states and various countries overseas. Upon seizing Cullen and Ferranti’s drug ledgers, law enforcement was able to further their investigation to connect shipments that were mailed out to three different people in three different states who ultimately died as a result of overdosing on the drugs that Cullen and Ferranti distributed.

The case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). Assistant U.S. Attorney Luisa Honora Berti prosecuted the case.

Turner Jr. made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Shannon G. Elkins on September 4, 2026. Turner Jr. is the lead and one of six defendants in the case, and all were indicted by grand jury on June 26, 2026.

The defendants charged in this conspiracy and their charges include:

• Marc Anderson, aka “K.T.C.” and “Sam Smith,” is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of bank fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft.
• Billy Ray Cameron Jr., aka “J.A.M.,” of Chicago, Illinois, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of bank fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
• Devontay Colbert, aka “J.A.M.,” of Chicago, Illinois, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of bank fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft.
• Dontae Williams, aka “F.O.A.,” of Chicago, Illinois, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of bank fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft.
• Takiya Shemwell, of Chicago, Illinois, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.

According to the indictment, from at least in or about November 2022 to at least on or about September 2024, Turner Jr., Anderson, Cameron Jr., Colbert, and Williams knowingly conspired to defraud banks and credit unions in the Twin Cities area by negotiating stolen checks.  The five defendants opened, or attempted to open, fraudulent and unauthorized bank accounts in the names of business victims at Twin Cities financial institutions. They then deposited checks payable to or paid from the business victims, which had been stolen from the United States mail, into the accounts using fraudulent personal identification and documentation related to the business victims. The defendants then fraudulently withdrew or attempted to withdraw the funds.

The five defendants engaged in the scheme by registering the payee business victims as new Minnesota Limited Liability Corporations. They then used the Limited Liability Corporation documents to open and attempt to open the unauthorized and fraudulent bank accounts. In opening the bank accounts, the defendants presented fraudulent identification in the names of other individuals and falsely claimed that they were authorized representatives of the payee business victims. After depositing the funds, the defendants and their co-conspirators withdrew the fraudulently obtained funds through cash withdrawals or cashier’s check purchases.

As part of the scheme, Turner Jr., Cameron Jr., and Shemwell, conspired to steal the business victims’ checks from the U.S. Mail.  Shemwell, who was then an employee of the United States Postal Service in Chicago, identified and stole business mail pieces which contained checks paid from or payable to the Business Victims. Shemwell then sold the business victims’ checks to Turner Jr. and Cameron Jr. in exchange for payments on a peer-to-peer money transfer application. Turner Jr. and Cameron Jr. then shared the stolen checks with other co-conspirators and with each other.

In the course of their scheme, these conspirators deposited or attempted to deposit business victim checks worth over $5.1 million at Twin Cities financial institutions. In total, the defendants were successful in stealing over $1.5 million in business victim funds.

The Minnesota Financial Crimes Task Force (MNFCTF) protects and serves the public by investigating financial crimes related to identity theft, with a special emphasis on organized criminal enterprises. The MNFCTF is comprised of multi-jurisdictional law enforcement agencies working together to provide investigative expertise and resources. The MNFCTF includes representatives from local, state, and Federal agencies.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted jointly under the auspices of the MNFCTF by the United States Postal Inspection Service, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Eagan Police Department, Richfield Police Department, and the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, with significant assistance from the United States Marshals Service in Minnesota, Illinois, and Arizona.

Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca E. Kline and Bryan T. Mette are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Vegen Hartoonian, 46, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit theft of government property and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Hartoonian, the lead defendant in this case, has been in federal custody since October 2025.

According to his plea agreement, from September 2023 to November 2024,

Hartoonian and his co-conspirators followed postal vehicles using rented vehicles such as a Dodge Caravan, BMW and GMC SUVs, and a Mitsubishi Outlander. The car rental used to follow a USPS vehicle during a September 2023 incident was paid for with stolen credit card information.

Once the mail carrier got out of the USPS vehicle to deliver mail, Hartoonian and his co-conspirators stole the postal vehicle, drove it to another location, and then stole the mail inside the vehicle.

In total, Hartoonian and his co-conspirators stole approximately 30 USPS postal vehicles – each vehicle valued at $11,651 – and the mail of approximately 232 victims and illegally possessed 100 credit and debit cards belonging to other people.

Hartoonian further admitted to unlawfully possessing a victim’s credit card number in connection with a scheme to steal USPS vehicles and the mail inside them during a January 2024 incident.

United States District Judge Christina A. Snyder scheduled a December 7 sentencing hearing, at which time Hartoonian will face a statutory maximum sentence of seven years in federal prison.

Three other defendants have already pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges in this case and remain in federal custody:

• Jose Arviso, 50, of San Bernardino;
• Sanjay Varma, 44, of Pasadena; and
• Juan Nuñez, 25, of Highland Park.

One other defendant – Mark Anthony Quitugua, 43, of Lincoln Heights – has pleaded not guilty to federal criminal charges and is scheduled to go to trial in January 2027. He is free on $10,000 bond.

The United States Postal Inspection Service is investigating this matter.

Assistant United States Attorney Neil P. Thakor of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section is prosecuting this case.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Matthew M. Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge, United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Area Field Office (USPS-OIG), announced the verdict.

“For more than 20 years and until her lies caught up to her, the defendant refused to come to work and instead collected tax-free disability benefits for a highly-exaggerated injury,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “Our Office and the Administration has made it a priority to hold accountable those who exploit government benefits programs for personal gain and steal funds that are designated for workers who truly need them.”

Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the USPS-OIG and the United States Department of Labor (DOL) for their assistance with the case.

“This verdict sends a clear message that workers’ compensation fraud will not be tolerated,” stated USPS-OIG Special Agent in Charge Modafferi.  “These benefits are intended to support U.S. Postal Service employees who are truly injured, not those who misrepresent their condition for personal gain. The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General remains committed to protecting the Postal Service, its employees, and federal benefit programs from fraud and abuse. We thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of New York and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General for their partnership in this case.”

As proven at trial, in August 1997, Middleton, who was in her mid-forties, claimed that she had sustained an injury to her lower back while performing her duties as a postal clerk.  Middleton submitted a claim for compensation to the DOL and began receiving workers’ compensation benefits approximately three months later.  Middleton briefly returned to work in a limited duty capacity in February 1999, after a medical doctor found that she was in fact capable of working; but then claimed she had a recurrence of her back injury, which rendered her totally and permanently disabled.  She again began receiving workers’ compensation benefits – roughly two-thirds of her annual salary, tax-free – from the DOL.  Between November 1997 and September 2022, Middleton regularly submitted medical evaluations and records to the USPS and the DOL claiming that she was incapable of returning to work, and that she was totally disabled.  The evaluations claimed, for example, that Middleton could sit, stand, walk, bend, lift and reach above her shoulders for zero hours and could not participate in any physical activities because of her excruciating back pain.

However, the investigation revealed that between October 2015 and March 2022, Middleton engaged in numerous physical activities, including cleaning out a garage, sitting through a movie for more than two hours, standing for more than one hour at a cookie decorating class, climbing stairs and retail shopping.  Middleton was observed, and captured on video footage, carrying groceries and laundry bags, lifting and reaching for objects at heights she claimed she could not reach, bending to the floor to retrieve items, and hoisting a bag of potting soil from the bottom of her shopping cart into her vehicle.   Records from USPS and DOL indicate that Middleton received more than $900,000 in fraudulent workers’ compensation benefits as the result of her claimed physical limitations.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division).  The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people.  The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division.  Assistant United States Attorneys Charles P. Kelly and Ashlyn Miranda are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Samantha Schroder, Legal Assistant Danielle Rompel, and Automated Litigation Specialist Michael Compitello.

The Defendant:

LUANN MIDDLETON
Age: 72
Glen Cove, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-339 (GRB)

The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen and announced by Margaret E. “Meg” Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

Cheryl Galloway, 67, of Yulee, Florida, was sentenced to 71 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $454,624.20 and criminal forfeiture of $96,119 after being convicted of Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud.

There is no parole in the federal system.

As described in court documents and testimony, over a two-year period Galloway, along with her co-conspirators, electronically submitted fraudulent applications with agencies in at least 40 states.  The fraud scheme employed by Galloway and her co-conspirators involved filing for pandemic unemployment benefits around the country, stating they were impacted in those states, and lying about various material aspects of the applications. As a result, the conspirators received approximately $480,000 to which they were not entitled, and they attempted to obtain even more money through fraudulent and deceptive means. Some of the benefits were in the form of a debit card sent to Galloway through the U.S. Mail.

Galloway’s co-defendant, Ricki Johnson, 42, of Trenton, South Carolina, was previously sentenced to 54 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $104,632 after pleading guilty to Mail Fraud.

“This sentence demonstrates this offices commitment to safeguarding taxpayer-funded benefits against illegal access by those that would seek to enrich themselves,” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “This case, and many others like it, demonstrate that federal investigators and prosecutors will work together to identify these criminals and hold them accountable.”

In March 2020, Congress authorized additional funding and expanded eligibility for state-administered unemployment insurance programs as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. In an effort to maintain the integrity of those benefits, the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Labor (OIG-DOL) investigates individuals attempting to fraudulently access unemployment insurance funds.

“Cheryl Galloway and her co-conspirators fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits they were not entitled to, draining hard-earned tax dollars and betraying the trust of hardworking Americans. Stealing benefits is a crime and every fraudster will face the consequences they deserve,” said Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor. “This ruling stands as a powerful reminder that my office, in partnership with the Department of Justice, is committed to identifying and prosecuting every individual who defrauds our benefits programs. Accountability and justice will always prevail.”

Anyone with information about attempted unemployment insurance benefits fraud can contact OIG-DOL at www.oig.dol.gov/hotline.htm.

The case was investigated by the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Labor and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelsey L. Scanlon, J. Bishop Ravenel and former Assistant U.S. Attorney George J.C. Jacobs III.