Ex-Stamford postal worker sentenced for $156K mail theft and bank fraud scheme
Hartford, CT – A former U.S. Postal Service employee from Stamford has been sentenced to federal prison after admitting to stealing checks from the mail and running a large-scale bank fraud operation that involved identity theft and more than $150,000 in fraudulent deposits.
Kierra Blount, 35, now living in Plymouth, North Carolina, was sentenced Tuesday to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release, according to U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan. U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala handed down the sentence in Hartford.
According to court records, Blount stole mail while working for the U.S. Postal Service in Stamford and used stolen checks to carry out a sophisticated financial scheme. In November 2021, she opened a fraudulent bank account using a stolen identity, then used that account to deposit altered and forged checks, originally intended for other people.
Over the course of five months, Blount and others deposited about $156,000 in stolen and altered checks, using roughly $81,000 before the account was closed. A court-authorized search of her Stamford residence in June 2023 uncovered extensive evidence, including over $285,000 in additional stolen checks, stolen mail, identity documents, debit cards, and personal data for more than 50 individuals.
Federal investigators also seized cell phones containing images of stolen checks, personal information, and communications on the Telegram messaging app with unidentified co-conspirators.
Blount was indicted in March 2024 and arrested in June. She pleaded guilty to bank fraud and unlawful possession of stolen mail on August 29. She remains free on a $75,000 bond and is scheduled to report to federal prison on April 8.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Connecticut Organized Financial Fraud Task Force (CUT OFF), which includes multiple municipal police departments across the state.
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Key Points
- Kierra Blount was sentenced to 30 months in prison for bank fraud and mail theft
- She stole checks from mail while working for the U.S. Postal Service in Stamford
- Investigators recovered over $285,000 in stolen checks and identity documents