A U.S. Postal Service worker was arrested Thursday on suspicion of swiping more than 20 checks from the mail and depositing $281,000 into various bank accounts under her name, authorities said.
Joivian Tjuana Hayes, 36, of Compton, was charged with one count of bank fraud and faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison if convicted, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
Hayes, whom prosecutors identified as a supervisor at the Costa Mesa post office in Orange County, is accused of stealing almost two dozen checks from the office since July, prosecutors said.
Hayes allegedly deposited the checks in her accounts at various banks by forging the signatures of payees, prosecutors said. One of these checks was for more than $114,000, according to authorities.
Surveillance camera footage allegedly shows Hayes depositing the stolen checks at ATMs in Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley and Compton, prosecutors said.
She is also suspected of stealing currency worth tens of thousands of dollars, as well as gold coins, according to authorities.
Federal agents searched Hayes’ Compton residence and her vehicle, a 2023 BMW, on Thursday.
The matter was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General.