Two former Tallahassee employees for the U.S. Postal Service pleaded guilty in federal court to a number of charges related to mail and identity theft, federal prosecutors said June 8.
Taija Avion Smith, 25, and Jaheed Anthony Williams, 24, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail theft, theft of a mail key, bank fraud conspiracy, and multiple counts of aggravated identity theft. Williams also pleaded guilty to 14 counts of bank fraud.
Jack Heekin, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida, said: “Postal service employees occupy positions of public trust through which they are expected to responsibly process and deliver our nation’s mail. This defendant repeatedly violated that public trust while seeking to enrich herself and her co-defendant at the expense of others, but thanks to this multi-agency investigation and successful prosecution their scheme has been dismantled and federal prison awaits both defendants.”
According to court documents, Smith was employed between 2021 and 2024 by the post office. Her employment meant she had access to a postal key, which she stole and gave to Williams. Together, the two conspired to steal a number of mail parcels, including mailed checks that they fraudulently deposited in financial institutions and then split the proceeds.
Court records also show that Smith fraudulently received and used online bank login credentials of other individuals as part of her crimes.
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Arianna Otero is the trending and breaking news reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com and follow her on X: @ari_v_otero.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Feds: Tallahassee postal workers plead guilty to mail theft
Reporting by Arianna Otero, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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By Arianna Otero, Tallahassee Democrat | USA TODAY Network
