Charlotte postal worker stole $24 million in checks from the US mail, feds say

A postal worker in Charlotte is accused of stealing at least $24 million in checks from the U.S mail and conspiring with two other suspects to sell them, prosecutors said Friday.

Nakedra Shannon pilfered incoming and outgoing checks at a postal processing and distribution center in Charlotte over four months this year, according to a federal indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court on Friday.

The 29-year-old worked as a mail processing clerk at the center from March 2021 to July 2023, court records show.

The other suspects, 27-year-old Donnell Gardner and 24-year-old Desiray Carter, are accused of posting $12 million in stolen checks for sale on the Telegram Channels app, according to a news release by U.S. Attorney Dena King’s office.

The theft also included at least $8 million in U.S. Treasury checks, according to the indictment.

The suspects, who live in Charlotte, reaped hundreds of thousands of dollars from the scheme that started in April and ended in July, prosecutors said.

Each is charged with conspiracy to commit financial institution fraud, which carries up to 30 years in prison, and five counts of theft of government property. Each theft count carries a maximum 10-year sentence.

Carter and Gardner also were charged with seven counts of possession of stolen mail matter, and Shannon with eight counts of theft of mail by a postal employee, the indictment shows. Each of those counts carries up to five years in prison.

All three were released on bond after their first court appearances Friday and didn’t reply to requests for comment from The Charlotte Observer on Saturday.

King on Friday thanked the agencies that investigated the case: the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the IRS Criminal Investigation Division; the U.S. Department of Treasury Bureau of the Fiscal Service; and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police.