Ruben Baca Lopez, 34, a.k.a. “Monster” and “Loony,” of Baldwin Park, pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery of mail, money, or other property of the United States by use of a dangerous weapon, and one count of being a felon and prohibited person in possession of ammunition.

Baca Lopez has been in federal custody since April 22.

According to his plea agreement, in April 2024, Baca Lopez approached a victim, who was sitting in the driver’s seat of his USPS mail delivery truck in front of a residence in Baldwin Park while carrying out his duties delivering mail on USPS’s behalf. Baca Lopez instructed the victim to “give him everything,” and lifted his shirt to reveal a gun in his right waistband.

Baca Lopez demanded and took from the victim a smartphone, the keys to the USPS vehicle, a USPS-issued key, and keys to access apartment complexes in the area. In the following weeks, Baca Lopez used the keys he stole from this victim to access mailboxes and steal mail in the Baldwin Park area.

In May 2024, Baca Lopez robbed a second USPS letter carrier as the victim was placing mail inside a mailbox at an apartment complex. Baca Lopez accessed the area where this victim was standing by using an apartment key he stole from the previous month’s victim during that earlier robbery. Baca Lopez forcibly took from this victim his cellphone, wallet, smartwatch, a USPS-issued badge and two USPS-issued keys.

Two weeks after the second robbery, Baca Lopez forcibly assaulted two U.S. Postal Inspection Service inspectors who were arresting him. He refused to comply with their verbal commands, assaulted both inspectors and injured one of them.

On the day of his arrest, Baca Lopez knowingly possessed ammunition that was loaded inside of the chamber and magazine of a ghost gun – a privately manufactured firearm lacking a serial number – that he carried on his person.

Baca Lopez is legally barred from possessing ammunition because his criminal history includes felony convictions, including in April 2020 in Los Angeles Superior Court for domestic violence and false imprisonment, and another assault-related conviction in Los Angeles Superior Court in November 2021. Baca Lopez also was convicted of a misdemeanor domestic violence charge in Los Angeles Superior Court in February 2016.

United States District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett scheduled a December 16 sentencing hearing, at which time Baca Lopez will face a statutory maximum sentence of 25 years in federal prison on each robbery count and a statutory maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison on the ammunition possession count.

United States Postal Inspection Service investigated this matter.

Assistant United States Attorney Sebastian Bellm of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Our citizens should be able to trust that the mail they deposit with the U.S. Postal Service will be delivered quickly, securely, and efficiently, but this defendant’s reprehensible conduct violated that public trust and victimized numerous people as she enriched herself. Thanks to the outstanding investigative work by the USPS Inspector General and FDLE, and this successful prosecution by my office, we will ensure she is held fully accountable for her crimes.”

Court documents reflect that the defendant has been a United States Postal Service employee for approximately eight years. An investigation revealed that the defendant had stolen numerous gift cards from outgoing mail in her capacity as a Postal employee.

In December 2025, the defendant intercepted two envelopes containing gift cards while at work. The defendant removed the gift cards from the outgoing mail and then proceeded to use them at a store in Tallahassee and at a gas station in Quincy, Florida. Later, in July 2026, law enforcement observed the defendant open a letter, put $1,000 in her pocket, and placed the empty envelope in an outgoing mail tub. The defendant was placed under arrest, and law enforcement found the stolen $1,000 in the defendant’s pocket. Following the defendant’s arrest, law enforcement conducted a search of her vehicle. Numerous gift cards were recovered. According to court records, law enforcement successfully identified several victims who had sent the gift cards before their mail was intercepted by the defendant. The defendant was also captured on security footage at various locations using the stolen gift cards while still dressed in her Postal employee uniform.

Blair faces up to five years in prison for each count of theft of mail by a postal employee.

The case was jointly investigated by the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Assistant United States Attorney Emma Schwan is prosecuting the case.

According to court documents, from May 2023 through April 2024, Tremont Hancock, 25, and Olden Ellerbe III, 27, conspired with other individuals to steal U.S. mail, sometimes using stolen USPS “arrow” keys, which unlock all Postal Service collection boxes in a given geographic area. Ellerbe and Hancock obtained the personal and financial information of numerous victims through these mail thefts and utilized it to fraudulently withdraw funds from those victims’ accounts at local banking institutions.

Hancock and Ellerbe targeted victims’ financial accounts through a variety of means, including the creation of fictitious checks drafted on the victims’ bank accounts; using stolen debit and/or credit cards to withdraw funds from the victims’ bank accounts; and applying for loans in the names of victims, then withdrawing the fraudulently obtained loan proceeds with the victims’ stolen debit cards.

On Nov. 15, 2023, during a spree of five withdrawal transactions totaling $84,000 from victims’ accounts, law enforcement officers confronted Hancock and Ellerbe following the final transaction. Officers arrested Ellerbe after a brief pursuit and found him in possession of stolen mail, $59,940 in cash, 83 stolen checks with a total face value of $153,630.83, nine stolen credit or debit cards, six stolen U.S. Saving Bonds with a total value of $5,000, and a handgun. In Ellerbe’s rental car, officers found another stolen debit card, a counterfeit driver’s license, and more stolen mail.

Ellerbe pled guilty on Feb. 16, 2024, and was sentenced on Aug. 19, 2024, to three years in prison. Hancock pled guilty on Dec. 4, 2025, and was sentenced today to five years and six months years in prison.

Theophani K. Stamos, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge David J. Novak.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Day prosecuted the case.

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.

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)