\u201cIt is the mission of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) to protect the integrity of the IRS and promote the fair administration of our federal tax system,\u201d said TIGTA Special Agent in Charge Joel Weaver.\u00a0\u201cTIGTA continues to work closely with the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office and its law enforcement partners to hold individuals responsible for their attempts to interfere with our nation\u2019s tax system for personal gain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStealing mail, misusing personal information, and trying to wash a $4.9 million Treasury check are serious attacks on our financial system,\u201d said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman, IRS-CI Atlanta Field Office. \u201cIRS?CI will continue to follow the money, expose these schemes, and shut down anyone who seeks to profit from fraud against the American public.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe U.S. Postal Inspection Service relentlessly pursues criminals who exploit the U.S. Mail for unlawful purposes,\u201d said Rodney M. Hopkins, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Atlanta Division. \u201cThe indictments of these co-conspirators who allegedly stole Treasury Checks and other financial instruments and defrauded the American taxpayer serve as a resounding message to anyone who wants to steal U.S. Mail. We will unwaveringly work with our partners in law enforcement and the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office to hold criminals accountable for their actions.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Beginning in or about March 2020 and continuing through September 2025, Shanda Goode and Carnisha Hamilton, who were then employed as U.S. Postal Service City Carriers assigned to the Ralph McGill Post Office in Atlanta, Georgia, and the Marietta Main Post Office in Marietta, Georgia, respectively, allegedly stole mail containing checks, credit cards, gift cards, and other items of value in order to sell them to Francina Juantez Sutton and other individuals. On at least one occasion in December 2023, Hamilton stole three dozen pieces of mail containing checks and credit cards on a single delivery run. After obtaining the stolen mail, Sutton used the credit cards and cashed the checks for her own personal use.<\/p>\n
Sutton also allegedly conspired with Tonya Bailey, who was an Assistant Financial Center Manager at a bank in Alpharetta, Georgia, to open bank accounts in the names of unsuspecting persons in order to deposit a $4.9 million U.S. Treasury check that had been stolen from the mail. In February 2023, Sutton entered Bailey\u2019s bank branch wearing a dark-colored mask and opened a bank account, with Bailey\u2019s assistance, in the name of an entity that resembled the name of the payee listed on the stolen check. Sutton and Bailey then deposited the stolen check into the new bank account. Two weeks later, Sutton returned to Bailey\u2019s bank branch wearing a surgical mask; drew two cashier\u2019s checks for $150,000 each from the account; and opened two new bank accounts, with Bailey\u2019s assistance, using stolen personally identifiable information. Sutton and Bailey then deposited $300,000 into the new accounts. The U.S. Secret Service seized over $4.7 million from the fraudulently opened bank accounts, and the United States will seek to forfeit the seized funds in the criminal case.<\/p>\n
Francina Juantez Sutton, 46, of Smyrna, Ga., Shanda Goode, 57, of Douglasville, Ga., Carnisha Hamilton, 42, of Marietta, Ga., and Tonya Bailey, 58, of Ellenwood, Ga., will be arraigned today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lawrence R. Sommerfeld after a federal grand jury returned an indictment on March 24, 2026. Goode, Hamilton, and Sutton face federal charges for conspiracy and theft of mail by a postal employee. Sutton and Bailey were charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft. Sutton also was charged with possession of stolen mail, access device fraud, and felon in possession of a firearm. Sutton has multiple prior felony convictions for theft, forgery, and identity fraud.<\/p>\n
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges.\u00a0 The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government\u2019s burden to prove the defendants\u2019 guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.<\/p>\n
This case is being investigated by the United States Postal Service-Office of Inspector General, U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. The U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service also provided valuable assistance.<\/p>\n
Assistant United States Attorney Sekret T. Sneed is prosecuting the case.<\/p>\n
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Public Affairs Office at\u00a0USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov<\/a>\u00a0or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is\u00a0http:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-ndga<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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