Brothers in Riverside County Guilty of $2.3 Million USPS Theft

Two brothers from Riverside County, Anwer Fareed Alam, 35, and Yousofzay Fahim Alam, 31, have admitted to orchestrating a sophisticated mail scam that defrauded the U.S. Postal Service of over $2.3 million. The elaborate scheme, which spanned from October 2016 to May 2019, involved purchasing packages and postage from USPS, exploiting the option for $100 insurance for lost or damaged parcel contents.

Anwer Alam meticulously prepared packages, which were either empty or contained items of negligible value, and shipped them via priority mail to fictitious recipients at fabricated addresses. Subsequently, Yousofzay Alam would file false insurance claims through the USPS website, asserting that the packages he sent had been lost or damaged during transit. These claims falsely inflated the value of the purported contents, accompanied by fictitious invoices and images of items never present in the packages.

Employing aliases and fictitious business identities, the brothers concealed the extent of their fraudulent activities, which involved submitting multiple insurance claims. Upon approval, they received checks covering the alleged losses, plus shipping costs, totaling at least $2,367,033. The checks were delivered to various addresses in Temecula, including their residences, business locations, and approximately 15 different post office boxes across two postal facilities.

Subsequently, the brothers deposited the ill-gotten USPS checks into their bank accounts, perpetuating their criminal enterprise undetected for years. Now, both men have pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud, acknowledging their roles in the elaborate scheme. As they await sentencing scheduled for November 1st, the severity of their crimes looms large, with potential consequences including up to 20 years in federal prison.

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This case serves as a stark reminder of the ingenuity and audacity of criminals who exploit vulnerabilities within essential institutions for personal gain. The brazenness of the Alams’ actions underscores the importance of robust oversight and security measures to safeguard against such fraudulent activities, ensuring the integrity of vital services like the U.S. Postal Service. As justice unfolds, the repercussions of their deceitful actions reverberate, emphasizing the necessity of swift and decisive accountability in the face of financial malfeasance.

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