Two NJ men were arrested in connection with two criminal complaints charging them with scheming with U.S. Postal Service employees and others to commit mail theft, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Federal authorities said Mr. Yaseen Salih, 24, of Iselin and Mr. Adeeb Salih, 29, of East Orange were charged by complaint with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to commit mail theft and to possess stolen mail, and aggravated identity theft.
Yaseen Salih was arrested today and made his initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge André M. Espinosa and was detained. Adeeb Salih remains at large.
Hakir Brown, 27, of Newark, was arrested today and charged by way of a separate complaint with bank fraud, conspiracy to commit mail theft and to possess stolen mail, and aggravated identity theft.
He is scheduled to make his initial appearance tomorrow.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
USPS employees Khadijah Banks Oneal and Ashley Taylor stole envelopes containing credit cards, checks, and U.S. Treasury checks from the mail.
From December 12, 2020, to July 31, 2021, Taylor sold stolen mail to Yaseen Salih; from January 30, 2020, until her arrest on July 28, 2021, Banks Oneal sold stolen mail to Jahad Salter and Dashaun Brown and supplied stolen mail to Hakir Brown.
Yaseen Salih and Adeeb Salih, Hakir Brown, Salter, and Banks Oneal, fraudulently posed as the accountholders of stolen credit cards, called the banks that issued the stolen credit cards and used personal identifying information belonging to the account holder, to obtain or change information about the stolen credit cards.
They then used the stolen credit cards to, among other things, make purchases at retail stores in New Jersey and elsewhere, including New York and online, resulting in attempted losses of over $300,000.
Adeeb Salih deposited stolen checks into bank accounts that were under his control to obtain the checks’ proceeds.
The charges of bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud each carry a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1 million.
The charges of mail theft and possession of stolen U.S. Mail, and conspiracy to commit that offense, each carry a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, or twice the gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest.
The aggravated identity theft charge carries a mandatory sentence of two years in prison, which must be served consecutively to any sentence imposed for bank fraud, and a maximum fine of $250,000, or twice the gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest.
The following defendants were also charged in late July and early August 2021 in connection with this scheme:
• Banks Oneal, 30, of Newark, was charged by complaint on July 28, with conspiracy to commit access device fraud and mail theft. She was arrested the same day, and on July 29, appeared before Judge Espinosa and was released on a $30,000 bond. At the time of her arrest, Banks Oneal was employed by the USPS at a mail processing facility in Kearny.
• Salter, 25, of Newark, was charged by complaint on July 29, with conspiracy to commit access device fraud and conspiracy to commit mail theft. He was arrested on August 9, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Falk and was detained.
• Dashaun Brown, 30, of Newark was charged by complaint on July 29, with access device fraud and mail theft. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and he remains at large.
• Taylor, 27, of Bronx, New York, was charged by complaint on Aug. 2, with conspiracy to commit mail theft and, as a federal employee, accepting bribes. She was arrested on Aug. 3, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor and was released on a $30,000 bond. At the time of her arrest, Taylor was employed by the USPS at a post office in New York, New York.