TALLAHASSEE — A former U.S. Postal Service employee and her accomplice pleaded guilty in federal court to a years-long scheme in which they stole a postal key, intercepted mailed checks and fraudulently deposited them, splitting the proceeds while using stolen bank credentials to deepen the fraud.
Taija Avion Smith, 25, and Jaheed Anthony Williams, 24, both of Tallahassee, entered guilty pleas to conspiracy to commit mail theft, theft of a mail key, bank fraud conspiracy and multiple counts of aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin announced. Williams also pleaded guilty to 14 counts of bank fraud.
“Postal service employees occupy positions of public trust through which they are expected to responsibly process and deliver our nation’s mail,” Heekin said. “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.”
Court documents show the conspiracy ran from March 11, 2021, through May 21, 2024, while Smith was employed by USPS in Tallahassee. Smith stole a postal key and gave it to Williams, and the pair used it to steal U.S. Mail containing checks they then deposited at financial institutions. Smith also fraudulently obtained and used online bank login credentials belonging to other individuals as part of the scheme.
The potential penalties are steep. Smith and Williams each face up to 5 years’ imprisonment on the conspiracy to commit mail theft count, up to 10 years on the theft of a mail key, and up to 30 years on the bank fraud conspiracy count. Each aggravated identity theft count carries a mandatory consecutive term of 2 years. Williams faces additional exposure of up to 5 years on the theft of mail count and up to 30 years on each of his 14 bank fraud counts.
The case was jointly investigated by the Tallahassee Police Department, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen is prosecuting the case.
Smith is scheduled for sentencing on July 14 at 2:00 p.m. and Williams on Aug. 10 at 3:30 p.m., both before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee.