United States Attorney David Metcalf announced the arrest and charging of four individuals in connection with a scheme to steal U.S. Treasury checks from a Philadelphia postal facility. The defendants, Tauheed Tucker, Cory Scott, Alexander Telewoda, and Saahir Irby, face charges including conspiracy to steal government funds, theft of government funds, and mail theft.
The indictment claims that between June 2023 and September 2024, Irby and Tucker used their positions as USPS mail processing clerks to steal envelopes containing Treasury checks from the USPS Philadelphia Processing and Distribution Center. These checks were allegedly sold to Scott and Telewoda, who advertised them for resale on Telegram. Buyers then attempted to cash these checks without the original recipients’ knowledge.
According to the indictment, the stolen checks had a face value exceeding $80 million. Of this amount, approximately $11 million was successfully negotiated by buyers at financial institutions. Additionally, Irby is accused of another instance of mail theft involving Treasury checks sold in August 2024.
If convicted, Irby could face up to 25 years in prison along with fines and supervised release. Tucker, Scott, and Telewoda each face potential sentences of up to 20 years in prison.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General and the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Rice is prosecuting the case.
All charges are currently accusations; each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
