A former U.S. Postal Service (USPS) worker, Hachikosela Muchimba, has been convicted of masterminding a $1.7 million mail theft and financial institution fraud scheme and falsifying his citizenship software.
Muchimba, 44, labored as a letter provider on the Friendship Submit Workplace in D.C.
Throughout his tenure, Muchimba stole 98 checks, primarily from the U.S. Treasury, valued at over $1.6 million, by altering payee names or forging endorsements to deposit them into seven financial institution accounts he managed.
Surveillance footage from banks confirmed him usually making transactions in his USPS uniform.
“Muchimba used the proceeds of the stolen checks to fund a lavish life-style that included worldwide journey, stays at luxurious resorts, and purchases at gents’s golf equipment,” the Division of Justice mentioned in a press release.
The press launch added, “Throughout the scheme, Muchimba utilized to grow to be a naturalized U.S. citizen and supplied false data to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Providers officers by telling them that he had not dedicated any crimes for which he had not been arrested. That offense carries a most penalty of ten years of incarceration and doable administrative denaturalization.”
In September 2023, Muchimba was arrested at Dulles Worldwide Airport. He was carrying $2,000 in money, a Zambian passport, and a ticket to Zambia.
Final week, a jury convicted Muchimba of conspiracy to commit mail theft and financial institution fraud, mail theft, financial institution fraud, participating in financial transactions with illicit proceeds, and the citizenship-related cost.
Muchimba now faces as much as 30 years for financial institution fraud, 5 years for mail theft, and 10 years for the naturalization offense. His sentencing is scheduled for August 8, 2025, earlier than U.S. District Courtroom Choose Rudolph Contreras.
U.S. Lawyer Edward R. Martin, Jr., described the crimes as a “betrayal of public belief.”
