Former postal carrier admits to identity, mail theft in $250K COVID fraud scheme
A former postal carrier pleaded guilty Monday to charges of stealing more than $250,000 in COVID-19 unemployment funds by filing fraudulent claims with the identities of residents on his mail route, then taking those debit cards and those sent legitimately when they arrived.
Stephen Glover, 32, of Palmdale, pleaded guilty to mail fraud and theft of mail matter by an officer or employee.
In his plea agreement, Glover admitted to defrauding the California Employment Development Department out of hundreds of thousands by providing co-schemers addresses on his mail route which were used as mailing addresses on fraudulent EDD applications, then intercepting and stealing debit cards that were sent out by the EDD. He also admitted to stealing legitimate EDD debit cards intended to recipients on his mail route, activating the cards by calling EDD and using PINs he gleaned from stolen mail, and using them to withdraw thousands of dollars in cash from ATMs. The total intended loss of Glover's mail fraud scheme was $270,698, federal prosecutors said.
According to the Department of Justice, a search of Glover's home in June of 2021 revealed 37 pieces of mail from the EDD to 15 different people.
Glover also admitted to stealing personal and business checks made out to others, and unrelated to COVID fraud, totaling approximately $23,266.
A Sept. 19 hearing was scheduled for Glover, who faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the mail fraud count and five years in federal prison for the mail theft count.
Prosecutors say one of Glover's co-schemers, 26-year-old Travis McKenzie of Valencia who lived on Glover's mail route, is scheduled to also plead guilty this week to mail fraud, mail theft, and identity theft. McKenzie admitted in his plea agreement to stealing $577,522 in COVID funds from more than 50 different people, as well as mail from the Virginia Employment Commission, to buy Louis Vuitton and Prada handbags from Nieman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. McKenzie faces a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison.
