Mail-in Voting: What could go wrong? Postal workers charged with stealing $80M in U.S. Treasury checks

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The Department of Justice reports that two former U.S. Postal Service employees who worked at the USPS Philadelphia Processing and Distribution Center were charged with stealing more than $80 million in U.S. Treasury checks.

According to a June 11, 2025, DOJ Press Release - Tauheed Tucker of Philadelphia, PA, Cory Scott of Ardmore, PA., and Alexander Telewoda of Clifton Heights, PA., were arrested and charged with conspiracy to steal government funds, theft of government funds, and mail theft, arising from a multi-million-dollar scheme to steal U.S. Treasury checks from a local USPS facility and then resell those checks to purchasers around the country.

A fourth defendant, Saahir Irby, was also charged with these offenses, in addition to a previously charged count of mail theft.

The indictment alleges that, between June 2023 and Sept 2024, Irby and Tucker, while working as USPS mail processing clerks, stole thousands of envelopes containing U.S. Treasury checks from mail sorting machines at the USPS Philadelphia Processing and Distribution Center.

Irby and Tucker removed the checks from the USPS facility and sold them to defendants Scott and Telewoda, who then advertised the stolen checks for resale on Telegram. Upon receiving payment from buyers, Scott and Telewoda mailed the stolen Treasury checks to buyers who attempted to cash the checks, without the knowledge or permission of the individuals to whom the checks had originally been issued.

Throughout the scheme, Irby and Tucker sold Scott and Telewoda thousands of stolen Treasury checks whose face value exceeded $80M. Scott’s and Telewoda’s customers successfully negotiated approximately $11M worth of these stolen Treasury checks at financial institutions.

Irby is also charged with a separate instance of mail theft involving another batch of Treasury checks that he allegedly stole and sold in August 2024.

If convicted, Irby faces a maximum possible sentence of 25 years’ imprisonment and a $1,000,000 fine, and Tucker, Scott, and Telewoda each face a maximum possible sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and a $750,000 fine.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Jessica Rice.

This is more proof that mail-in voting is susceptible to fraud and that until mail-in voting is banished, it is advised to use a drop box or take your ballot to the county elections office.

Bill Bruch

Bill Bruch is the WA State GOP Election Integrity Committee Chairman (5th year), WAGOP Executive Board Member (5th Year), Skagit County GOP Chairman (9th year), Citizen Journalist, Blogger, Business Owner, 2020 WA State House Representative Candidate, Former Council Member, and WA State 2016 and 2024 RNC National Convention Delegate.