PHILADELPHIA – The United States Attorney’s Office announced the sentencing of Zumar Dubose of Atlantic City, NJ, and Abdush Dubose of Boynton Beach, FL, for their involvement in a scheme defrauding the United States Postal Service (USPS), UPS, and Citizens Bank. United States District Judge Wendy Beetlestone handed down the sentences for the brothers, marking the culmination of legal proceedings that revealed an elaborate fraud operation.
Zumar Dubose received a 125-month prison sentence on March 15, 2024, coupled with five years of supervised release and an order to pay restitution amounting to $281,223. Abdush Dubose was sentenced to 57 months in prison on March 14, 2024, followed by three years of supervised release, and the same restitution amount.
Their brother, Kariem Dubose of Philadelphia, PA, was previously sentenced on February 15, 2024, to 24 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and restitution of $47,813.09. A federal jury convicted Zumar and Abdush Dubose in May 2023 of multiple charges, including mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering conspiracy. Kariem Dubose was convicted of mail fraud, wire fraud, and bank fraud charges.
The fraudulent operation began in October 2018 and lasted about 1.5 years, during which the Dubose brothers filed over 1,200 fraudulent insured-parcel claims with USPS and UPS, netting almost $300,000. They sent parcels containing items of negligible value, then falsely claimed these contained high-value items lost or damaged in transit, submitting fraudulent proofs of value to support their claims.
The scheme involved the use of numerous emails, addresses, postboxes, bank accounts, fake names, and fictitious corporations to facilitate the fraud. Despite challenges such as refused or undelivered claim checks and bank account holds, the brothers continued their fraudulent activities, including filing lawsuits against UPS and Citizens Bank under false identities.
U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero and officials from the USPS and USPS Office of Inspector General emphasized the seriousness of the fraud and the commitment to holding perpetrators accountable. The sentencing of the Dubose brothers sends a strong message against such elaborate schemes designed to exploit postal and banking institutions.