Extensive Mail Theft Scheme Brings Charges

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Two criminal indictments were unsealed in federal court following the arrest of a U.S. Postal Carrier and a co-conspirator for their involvement in an extensive mail theft scheme, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

Kiara Padgett, 28, of Waxhaw, N.C., is charged with one count of bank fraud conspiracy and 10 counts of mail theft by a postal employee. A separate indictment charges Terrell Alexander Hager Jr., 23, of Charlotte, with one count of bank fraud conspiracy and seven counts of possession of stolen mail.

According to allegations contained in Padgett’s indictment, Padgett was employed by the U.S. Postal Service as a mail carrier with a postal route in West Charlotte. From August 2021 to November 2022, Padgett allegedly used her position as a postal carrier to steal incoming and outgoing checks of businesses and individuals, which she then sold to other individuals located in Charlotte and Maryland. The indictment alleges that the total face value of the checks Padgett stole was more than $8.3 million. The indictment further alleges that between August 2021 and June 2022, Padgett received payments for her role in the scheme totaling at least $13,698 … (click to read more)