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METRO DETROIT — Four people, including a man from Rochester Hills, have been sentenced after stealing $63 million in checks from the U.S. Postal Service and selling them online.
Rapper Jaiswan Williams, 32, of Rochester Hills — who prosecutors say was the ringleader of the scheme — was sentenced to 10 years in prison June 2 for his role in the operation. Williams’ sentence also reflected a conviction for money laundering activities dating back to October 2022. He also admitted submitting $1.5 million in fraudulent pandemic unemployment insurance benefit claims between August and December 2020, using the personally identifiable information of dozens of individuals.
Williams, according to court records, was the last of four defendants sentenced in the case. Co-defendant Daquan Foreman, 32, of Eastpointe, was sentenced to 48 months in prison; Vanessa Hargrove, 40, of Detroit, received 12 months and one day in prison; while Crystal Jenkins, 32, of Detroit, was sentenced to one day in custody followed by three years of supervised release. All four defendants were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Judith E. Levy.
According to federal prosecutors, the scheme involved two postal employees, Hargrove and Jenkins, who allegedly diverted and stole checks and “other negotiable instruments” from the mail, including tax refund checks issued by the U.S. Treasury.
The two postal workers would then give the stolen checks to two co-conspirators, Williams and Foreman, in exchange for money.
The stolen checks were sold online via Telegram Messenger — a cloud-based, cross-platform instant messaging application — on the channels “Whole Foods Slipsss” and “Uber Eats Slips.” Purchasers of the stolen checks — also known as “slips” — would buy the checks using various methods, including the mobile financial services platforms, and then attempt to fraudulently cash them.
Detroit U.S. Postal Service Division Inspector Felicia B. George said the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is dedicated to safeguarding the nation’s mail system and holding those who try to exploit it accountable.
“Let this be a warning: If you abuse the U.S. Postal Service and victimize the citizens who rely upon it, we will utilize every avenue and tool at our disposal to prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law,” George said in a statement.
The stealing of checks is not a victimless crime, according to Karen Wingerd, of the IRS Criminal Investigation’s Detroit Field Office.
“The stolen checks belonged to citizens, to help them make payments for vital services or help through a tough time,” Wingerd said in a statement. “With today’s sentencing, all of those responsible are now held to account for exploiting the public and undermining trust in critical government systems. We are committed, along with our law enforcement partners, to using our unique expertise to track intricate financial systems, find criminals, and hold them accountable for the crimes committed.”
Williams’ lawyer, Steven Fishman; Foreman’s lawyer, Steven E. Scharg; Hargrove’s attorney, Pamella R. Szydlak; and Jenkins’ attorney, David Malcom Burgess, could not be reached for comment at press time.
