USPS worker pleads guilty to stealing $300,000 worth of checks, collectibles

• A USPS supervisor pleaded guilty to stealing more than $300,000 worth of checks, gold and other collectibles.
• Prosecutors said a 36-year-old employee stole 20 checks worth around $284,000 and up to $40,000 in other items from the mail.
• Hayes pleaded guilty to one count of theft of mail matter by a postal service employee and one count of unlawful transfer, possession and use of means of identification.

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A United States Postal Service (USPS) supervisor pleaded guilty to stealing more than $300,000 in checks, gold and other collectibles. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California made the announcement on Friday, Feb. 7.

What items were stolen?

Prosecutors said 36-year-old Joivian Tjuana Hayes of Compton, California, stole 20 checks worth around $284,000 and up to $40,000 in other items from the mail. These items included gold and collectibles such as a “Confederate $10 bill.”

Authorities said they found the items while searching Hayes’ home in January 2025. They said the items were stolen from the Costa Mesa post office.

Hayes pleaded guilty to one count of theft of mail matter by a postal service employee and one count of unlawful transfer, possession and use of means of identification, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

When is Hayes’ sentencing?

A federal judge scheduled Haye’s sentencing hearing for May 23, 2025. She faces up to 20 years in prison: five years for the theft count and 15 years for unlawful transfer.

Are there similar cases?

Her plea announcement comes the same day a former USPS employee was sentenced to five years in prison for stealing $24 million worth of checks, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

DOJ officials said the former USPS employee stole checks while working as a mail processing clerk at a distribution center in Charlotte, North Carolina.