Thursday, October 1, 2026
Two U.S. Postal Service employees were sentenced to up to five years in prison for stealing and selling more than 125 U.S. Treasury checks with a value of over $4 million on April 14.
The thefts occurred from June 2021 through August 2023 at the John F. Kennedy International Airport mail facility, where they worked. The checks included Social Security benefits, COVID-19 relief and tax refunds.
In July 2024, Kevaughn Wellington, of Jamaica, Queens, and Ky-Mani Straker, of Orange, New Jersey, pled guilty to stealing government funds and conspiring to steal government funds. Wellington was sentenced to five years in prison and to forfeit $100,000; Straker was sentenced to one year and to forfeit nearly $58,000. Additionally, they must both repay a total of more than $405,000.
“The defendants' brazen selfishness not only violated the public trust," but directly harmed the citizens they were supposed to serve by illegally siphoning funds — resources those people were relying on — for their own personal gain,” U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Matt McCool said in a news release.
Officials said Wellington, Straker and others stole packages containing checks and sold them for less than their full value. Straker also falsely endorsed and deposited checks into a bank account, using the money for himself.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elias Laris led the prosecution, with investigators finding more than 350 photos and videos on Wellington’s phone showing stolen checks not addressed to him or Straker.
U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said the men abused their positions and took money meant for hardworking people. “Our office will hold accountable those who steal taxpayer funds,” Nocella said in the release.
Officials from several agencies worked on the case, including the Postal Service Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Secret Service and the New York City Police Department.
“The special agents of the USPS OIG will vigorously investigate those who choose to steal U.S Mail and defraud the American public,” Matthew M. Modafferi , USPS-OIG Special Agent in Charge, said in the release. “The sentence imposed on the defendants will serve as a reminder that there are severe consequences when individuals commit crimes targeting the U.S Mail.”
