Justice Delivered: USPS Worker Sentenced for Stealing $1.6M in Checks, Splurging on Luxury Hotels and Strip Clubs

A former employee of the United States Postal Service (USPS) has been convicted for stealing approximately $1.6 million in checks, which he used to fund a lifestyle of extravagance that included international travel, luxury hotel stays, and visits to gentlemen’s clubs, according to federal prosecutors.

Hachikosela Muchimba, 44, from Washington, DC, was found guilty by a federal jury last week on multiple charges, including mail theft and bank fraud, as reported by the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Details from court documents reveal that between December 2020 and March 2023, Muchimba, while employed by the USPS, orchestrated a scheme to pilfer US Treasury checks and private party checks from the mail. The Department of Justice (DOJ) stated that he then deposited these checks, which he either altered or falsely endorsed, into bank accounts that he controlled.

Prosecutors noted that the total amount of US Treasury checks fraudulently deposited into Muchimba’s various bank accounts exceeded $1.6 million. The lavish lifestyle he funded with the proceeds included international trips, stays at high-end hotels, and expenditures at gentlemen’s clubs.

Bank surveillance footage captured Muchimba making both deposits and withdrawals of the stolen funds, further solidifying the evidence against him, according to the Justice Department.

Muchimba was convicted on several counts, including conspiracy to commit theft of mail, bank fraud, theft of mail, and engaging in a monetary transaction involving property derived from unlawful activity. He also faced charges related to the unlawful procurement of citizenship or naturalization.

Sentencing for Muchimba is scheduled for August 8, where he faces a maximum penalty of 30 years for the bank fraud charge and five years for the mail theft charge. Additionally, he was found guilty of unlawful procurement of naturalization.

During the course of his criminal activities, Muchimba applied for naturalization as a US citizen, providing false information to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officers. He claimed that he had not committed any crimes for which he had not been arrested. This offense carries a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and the possibility of administrative denaturalization.