A Middlesex County man and an Essex County man were charged 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.
Yaseen Salih, 24, of the Iselin section of Woodbridge, and 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, according to information provided by the U.S. Attorney General’s Office on Aug. 26.
Yaseen Salih was charged on Aug. 26 and made his initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge André M. Espinosa and was detained.
Adeeb Salih remained at large, as of press time.
Hakir Brown, 27, of Newark, was also charged on Aug. 26 by way of a separate complaint with bank fraud, conspiracy to commit mail theft and to possess stolen mail, and aggravated identity theft. He was scheduled to make his initial appearance on Aug. 27, according to the statement.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, USPS employees Khadijah Banks Oneal and Ashley Taylor allegedly stole envelopes containing credit cards, checks, and U.S. Treasury checks from the mail.
From Dec. 12, 2020, to July 31, 2021, Taylor allegedly sold stolen mail to Yaseen Salih; from Jan. 30, 2020, until her arrest on July 28, 2021, Banks Oneal allegedly 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 accountholder, to obtain or change information about the stolen credit cards, according to the allegations.
They then allegedly 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 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 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 Aug. 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 remained at large, as of press time.
• 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.