NEWARK, NJ – Three New Jersey residents have admitted their roles in a scheme to steal checks worth more than $75,000 from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) in Chester, according to New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito.
Nicole Georges, 30, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Newark federal court to an information charging her with theft of mail and conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Raheem Haynes-Moore, 25, and Daquan Pruitt, 31 previously pleaded guilty to separate informations charging each with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, as a result of the scheme to cash the stolen checks, Carpenito said.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Georges stole checks from the USPS station in Chester where she was employed. Georges and her conspirators then fraudulently deposited them into various bank accounts, and withdrew the money, often that same day or a day later before the checks were reported stolen. The stolen checks had a total value of over $75,000.
The charge of theft of mail by postal employee carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. The charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Sentencing for Georges is scheduled for June 18, 2020. Sentencing for Pruitt and Haynes-Moore is scheduled for April 23, Carpenito said.
