United States Postal Service employee and their accomplices have pleaded guilty to a $63 million mail theft and fraud scheme.
The defendants are Jaiswan Williams, 32, of Rochester Hills, Daquan Foreman, 32, of Eastpointe, Vanessa Hargrove, 40, of Detroit, and Crystal Jenkins, 32, of Detroit.
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All pleaded guilty to conspiracy to aid and abet bank and wire fraud.
Williams also pleaded guilty to money laundering and accepted responsibility for $1.5 million in fraudulent pandemic unemployment insurance claims submitted between May 2020 and September 2021.
Hargrove and Jenkins, both U.S. Postal Service employees, diverted and stole checks and negotiable instruments from the mail, including a large number of tax refund checks issued by the U.S. Treasury.
Williams and Foreman operated online marketplaces used to sell the stolen checks.
According to the Information, Hargrove and Jenkins provided stolen checks to Williams and Foreman in exchange for payments.
Williams and Foreman then marketed the checks for sale via Telegram Messenger, a cloud-based messaging app.
Pricing varied based on the checks’ face value.
One Telegram channel, “Whole Foods Slipsss,” advertised high-dollar checks, while another, “Uber Eats Slips,” offered lower-dollar checks.
“Slips” refers to stolen checks in such schemes.
Transactions were completed off-platform using various electronic payment systems.
Buyers attempted to fraudulently cash the checks using multiple methods.
All four defendants face up to 30 years in prison for the conspiracy charge.
Williams faces an additional 20 years for money laundering.
Sentencing hearings before U.S. District Judge Judith E. Levy are scheduled as follows:
- Jaiswan Williams: April 14, 2026
- Daquan Foreman: March 3, 2026
- Vanessa Hargrove: March 3, 2026
- Crystal Jenkins: May 27, 2026