A former employee of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) was found guilty of stealing over $1.6 million in checks from the mail, according to a press release from the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Hachikosela Muchimba, 44, of Washington, DC, was found guilty by a federal jury on March 13 on charges of mail theft and bank fraud that illegally netted him over $1.6 million.
His sentencing is scheduled for August 8, 2025.
Court documents show that between December 2020 and March 2023, Muchimba created a scheme to steal U.S. Treasury checks and private party checks from the U.S. mail. Muchimba deposited these checks, which he falsely endorsed, into his own bank accounts. He was caught on surveillance footage making deposits and withdrawals of these funds.
Muchimba spent this money on his “lavish lifestyle,” the DOJ noted. This included international trips, luxury hotel stays, and “purchases at gentlemen’s clubs.”
That’s not all. Muchimba was found guilty at trial of “unlawful procurement of naturalization.” Muchimba provided provided false information to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to obtain citizenship (via DOJ):
During the scheme, Muchimba applied to become a naturalized U.S. citizen and provided false information to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officers by telling them that he had not committed any crimes for which he had not been arrested. That offense carries a maximum penalty of ten years of incarceration and possible administrative denaturalization.
The maximum penalty for bank fraud is 30 years in prison; and for mail theft is five years in prison. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. Muchimba’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation was carried out by .S. Postal Service-Office of the Inspector General, the Department of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and the Department of Homeland Security.
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