According to the investigation, Harris drove Lockhart to Limerick Drive in Richmond, VA, for the sole purpose of robbing a letter carrier. When the letter carrier, who had parked on that street returned to her mail truck after delivery, Lockhart exited the vehicle wearing a ski mask, brandished a firearm, and demanded her postal keys.

On June 24, 2026, Harris pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery, and on July 7, 2026, Lockhart pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Both subjects were remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshals and are scheduled to be sentenced in October 2026.

“The safety and security of Postal Service employees and customers are the first priorities of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service,” said Damon Wood, inspector in charge of the Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division. “Postal inspectors were relentless in following this investigation through to deliver justice for our colleague.”

The Postal Inspection Service is grateful to the Richmond Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia for their continued partnership.

Based on the postal inspectors’ investigation, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Zaloun with 11 counts of felony burglary and one felony count of possession of a controlled substance. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service appreciates the assistance of the Chicago Police Department, specifically the 14th District Robbery/Burglary/Theft Mission Team, in this investigation, as well as its ongoing partnership with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

“The Postal Inspection Service will go after anyone who steals mail for financial gain or to further other criminal activity,”
said Inspector in Charge Nicholas Bucciarelli, Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “We value our law enforcement partners for supporting our mission.”

Zaloun was indicted and charged in July 2025 for his role in a burglary and mail theft incidents across Chicago. That investigation was also conducted jointly by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Chicago Police Department.

It is important to note that criminal charges are only allegations against a person. Every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

“Postal workers are entrusted with some of the most sensitive materials Americans send and receive: checks, credit cards, tax documents, Social Security information, and financial mail,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.  “Tameka Babulal betrayed that trust by stealing from the very people on the mail routes she was paid to serve and then using their mail and identities to commit fraud.  Today’s sentence makes clear that those who corrupt the mail system from within and exploit the public’s trust for personal gain will be held accountable.”

According to the allegations contained in the Indictment, public filings, and statements made in court proceedings:

From in or about December 2022 through May 23, 2024, BABULAL conspired with others in a scheme to possess, steal, and misuse mail stolen from the USPS in Mount Vernon, New York.  BABULAL stole hundreds of mail items from hundreds of victims whose mail she touched, including checks, credit cards, financial mail, tax documents, Social Security cards, and other sensitive materials.  She kept those items at the Hempstead, New York, residence she shared with her husband and co-conspirator, Joel Babulal.  BABULAL’s victims included elderly people in their 90s, young adults in their early 20s, business owners, churchgoers, military personnel, and other everyday people.

When law enforcement executed a search warrant at the Babulal residence on May 23, 2024, officers recovered, among other things, dozens of checks, treasury checks, and money orders in victims’ names, including blank or washed checks; 51 credit cards in other people’s names; unopened financial mail appearing to contain credit cards or checks; several Social Security cards and tax documents in other people’s names; bundles of unopened mail and packages; and a USPS postal bin filled with victims’ undelivered mail.

Using the mail and other items she stole from victims on her mail route, BABULAL carried out an extensive credit card, check, and identity theft fraud scheme involving dozens of victims.  BABULAL’s credit card scheme involved at least around $40,922.41 in fraudulent transactions using stolen credit cards.  Additionally, BABULAL’s check fraud scheme involved $13,510 in fraudulent transactions using stolen checks, and her possession of an additional at least $78,705.05 in checks and money orders.  To commit her crimes, BABULAL used various means of identification of her victims.  For example, BABULAL and her co-conspirators used their victims’ names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, addresses, and other identifying information to fraudulently open accounts, submit credit-card applications, activate payment cards, and attempt transactions.

The Government’s investigation also revealed that BABULAL made false statements to obtain her USPS position.  In her USPS employment application, she falsely claimed that she had previously worked at a Taco Bell restaurant under a supervisor named “Mark Khan.”  In fact, “Mark Khan” was not a real person, and both the name “Mark Khan” and the phone number she listed for him were used by BABULAL’s husband and co-conspirator, Joel Babulal.

On March 18, 2026, BABULAL pled guilty before Judge Seibel to conspiracy to steal and unlawfully possess mail, theft of mail by a postal employee, unlawful possession of mail, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and false statements.  BABULAL’s husband, Joel Babulal, pled guilty to conspiring with his wife and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 14, 2026.

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In addition to the prison term, BABULAL, 38, of Hempstead, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution and forfeiture.

Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the USPS, Office of Inspector General, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Reyhan Watson, John Sarlitto, and James McMahon are in charge of the prosecution.

Cavallari was identified as the suspect responsible for automobile thefts and for multiple burglaries inside several condo and apartment buildings on the North Side and in northern Cook County, stealing mail with the intent to commit identity theft and check fraud.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service appreciates the assistance of the Chicago Police Department in this investigation, specifically the 24th District Robbery/Burglary/Theft Mission Team and the 17th District Robbery/Burglary/Theft detectives, as well as our ongoing partnership with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is dedicated to defending the nation’s mail system from criminal activity, protecting United States Postal Service employees and customers, and preserving the integrity of the U.S. Mail,” said Nicholas Bucciarelli, inspector in charge, Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “We value our law enforcement partners for supporting our mission.”

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Our citizens depend upon the U.S. Postal Service to reliably deliver the mail, and this despicable defendant violated the public trust placed in him as a postal employee by seeking to enrich himself through the theft of mail. I applaud the excellent investigative work by the USPS Inspector General and the aggressive prosecution by my office to hold this thief accountable.”

According to court documents, the defendant was caught on video opening and removing the contents of mail he was tasked with sorting while working as an employee of the United States Postal Service at the Pensacola Processing and Delivery Center. When interviewed by law enforcement, the defendant admitted that he had opened greeting cards and stole gift cards out of them.

Sentencing is scheduled for September 3, 2026, at 9 a.m. before United States District Court Judge M. Casey Rodgers. Harris faces up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and restitution.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service-Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes is prosecuting the case.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.

Previous PEN coverage here.

6/29/26 – Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, together with U.S. Postal Inspection Service New York Division Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward, U.S. Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General, Northeast Area Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modafferi and New York City Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch, today announced that a former U.S. Postal employee and an accomplice have been arraigned on an indictment charging them in connection with an alleged scheme to steal tens of thousands of dollars in tenants’ rent payments by cashing stolen and altered money orders.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “Rent is often a household’s largest monthly expense, and tenants who mail money orders to pay for their homes are entitled to believe those payments will arrive safely. As alleged, these defendants exploited that trust, stole payments meant for landlords and property managers, and converted them for their own benefit. We will continue to work with our postal and NYPD partners to protect Brooklyn residents from fraud and hold accountable anyone who abuses a position of public trust.”

Inspector in Charge Larco-Ward said, “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) is committed to thoroughly investigating all criminal activity involving the U.S. Mail. In this case, the scheme involved individuals allegedly altering and cashing USPS money orders that were stolen by a USPS employee. Our mission is to protect the integrity of the U.S. Mail as well as the trust of the community that we serve. Postal Inspectors, along with our fellow law enforcement partners, USPS-OIG, and NYPD Financial Crimes Task Force will ensure all offenders are held accountable and brought to justice, especially those who abuse their position of trust within the United States Postal Service.”

Special Agent in Charge Modafferi said, “The USPS OIG is committed to protecting the integrity of Postal Service operations and the mail entrusted to its employees. Allegations involving stolen mail or employee misconduct are taken seriously. We appreciate the continued partnership of the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the NYPD Financial Crimes Task Force.”

Commissioner Tisch said, “The defendants shamefully abused their positions by stealing more than $25,000 of New Yorkers’ hard-earned money and fraudulently depositing those funds into their own bank accounts. These victims trusted the integrity of our postal system to pay their rent, as millions do every day, and those who betray that will be held accountable. I thank the investigators in the NYPD’s Financial Crimes Task Force, and our law enforcement partners at USPS-OIG and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office for their hard work on this case.”

The District Attorney identified the defendants as Bianca Graham, 30, of Astoria, Queens, and Sean Campbell, 36, of Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn. They were arraigned today before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Rhonda Tomlinson on an indictment in which they are each charged with two counts of third-degree grand larceny, 35 counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, 10 counts of fourth-degree grand larceny, petit larceny and fifth-degree conspiracy. The defendants were released without bail and ordered to return to court on August 26, 2026.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, between August 2024 and August 2025, Graham, while employed at the Blythebourne Post Office in Borough Park, Brooklyn, allegedly stole envelopes addressed to property management companies that contained money orders sent by tenants to pay rent.

Furthermore, the investigation found that the defendants allegedly altered the money orders so they could be cashed. In some instances, they allegedly removed the original payee’s name and replaced it with Campbell’s or the name of another person. In others, they allegedly added Campbell’s name alongside the intended recipient. Campbell then allegedly cashed the altered money orders at various Brooklyn post offices or deposited them into bank accounts.

The scheme allegedly affected 13 victims and resulted in losses totaling $25,191.48.

After receiving a tip, Postal Inspectors, together with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, obtained a search warrant for Graham’s cell phone. The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and the NYPD Financial Crimes Task Force.

This case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Adam Zion and Assistant District Attorney Jordan Krasner, both of the District Attorney’s Frauds Bureau, under the overall supervision of Assistant District Attorney Michel Spanakos, Deputy Chief of the Investigations Division, and Assistant District Attorney Patricia McNeill, Chief of the Investigations Division.

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An indictment is merely an accusation and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.

The robbery occurred on March 18, 2022, in the 700 block of South Claremont Avenue in Chicago.  The carrier was delivering mail when HENRY L. MOORER approached on foot and demanded postal property from the carrier.  Moorer then pulled a semiautomatic handgun from the pocket of his sweatshirt and displayed the butt of the firearm.  The carrier raised his arms in the air as Moorer grabbed the postal property from the carrier and walked away.  Moorer then fled the area in his vehicle.

At the time of the robbery, Moorer was on electronic monitoring for an unrelated criminal case in the Circuit Cook of Cook County.  He was arrested in March 2024 and has remained detained in law enforcement custody since then.

Moorer, 33, of Chicago, pleaded guilty in October 2025 to a federal robbery charge.  On June 18, 2026, U.S. District Judge John J. Tharp, Jr. sentenced Moorer to eight years in federal prison, to be served concurrently with a criminal sentence Moorer is serving for an unrelated state court conviction.

The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Nicholas Bucciarelli, Inspector-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

“Robbery is a serious, dangerous crime that threatens public safety,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia K. Schwartz argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  “The danger attendant to all robberies is heightened in cases where—like defendant—the robber possesses a firearm.  This traumatized the victim Postal worker and could have escalated into a situation posing serious physical harm to the Postal worker and the public.”