ATLANTA – Two former U.S. Postal Service mail carriers, a former Alpharetta assistant bank manager, and a convicted felon face federal charges after participating in a scheme to steal valuable items from the mail, including a $4.9 million U.S. Treasury check.
“Francina Sutton worked with two corrupt U.S. Postal Service mail carriers to steal dozens of checks, credit cards, and gift cards from the mail and separately conspired with an assistant bank manager to launder a stolen $4.9 million U.S. Treasury check,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “My office places a special emphasis on prosecuting employees who abuse their positions inside trusted institutions to steal from and defraud the public.”
“Today’s arrests send a strong message to anyone who thinks mail theft and check fraud will go unpunished,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Ulrich of the U.S. Postal Service…
PROCUREMENT & EXPENDITURE (STOPPING KICKBACKS)
Procurement fraud usually involves inflated invoices or “fictitious” vendors.
- The Three-Way Match: Never pay an invoice unless you have matched the Purchase Order (PO), the Delivery Note (signed), and the Supplier Invoice.
- Vendor Master File Review: Review your vendor list annually. Look for suppliers with the same bank details or physical addresses as your employees.
- Dual Authorization: Implement a “Two-to-Sign” rule for all EFT payments above a certain threshold (e.g., R5,000).
- No “Cashing” of Checks: If you still use physical checks, strictly prohibit “Cash” as a payee and store blank checks in a dual-lock safe.