Prosecutors: U.S. Postal Service Workers Arrested for Using Stolen Credit Cards to Purchase $1.3M in Luxury Products

Three U.S. Postal Service workers and another individual were recently arrested for allegedly participating in a $1.3 million fraud and identity theft scheme. Multiple other suspects were charged but remain at large.

According to federal prosecutors in the New York City area, the suspects are accused of stealing credit cards from hundreds of postal customers from the mail stream. They would then use already stolen personal identification to activate those cards.

Once activated, the conspirators would instruct shoppers to purchase luxury items from high-end retail stores such as Chanel, Fendi, Hermes, and Dior, and from department stores in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and New Jersey.

Authorities identified Johnny Damus as one of the conspirators who instructed shoppers to purchase multiple luxury items. Damus allegedly worked with a “close associate” to use the purchased items and fraudulently sell them on LuxurySnob.com.

The LuxurySnob website claims to be an “online consignment and personal shopping company” specializing in “pre-owned luxury items,” but instead, in this case, was used to sell fraudulent products purchased from stolen credit cards.

The three U.S. Postal Employees who were arrested on Thursday include Nathanael Foucault, Jonathan Persaud, and Fabiola Mompoint. Devon Richards, who was not identified as a postal worker, was also arrested the same day.

Authorities have also charged Damus, along with Rahsaan Richards, Devon Richards, Conrad Heron, Louis Jeune Verly, and Kareem Shepherd, but noted they are all still at large.

The accused suspects face charges ranging from access device fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft, among other charges.

“The defendants took advantage of the public trust we place in U.S. Postal Service employees for their own financial gain,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a Department of Justice press release.

USPS-OIG Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Modafferi stated that the suspects’ alleged actions were “disgraceful” and added that his office is still investigating the conspirators.

Federal prosecutors thanked the NYPD, USPIS, and the USPS-OIG, for their contribution in arresting the suspects.

You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.