ATLANTA — Four individuals face federal charges following their alleged involvement in a scheme to steal valuable items from the mail, including a $4.9 million U.S. Treasury check.
The accused include two former U.S. Postal Service mail carriers, a former Alpharetta assistant bank manager, and a convicted felon. All four are scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday.
The charges stem from alleged activities that occurred between March 2020 and September 2025.
The alleged scheme involved Shanda Goode, 57, of Douglasville, Ga., and Carnisha Hamilton, 42, of Marietta, Ga.
Both were employed as U.S. Postal Service City Carriers, assigned to the Ralph McGill Post Office in Atlanta and the Marietta Main Post Office in Marietta, respectively.
They allegedly stole mail containing checks, credit cards, gift cards, and other valuable items, which they then sold to Francina Juantez Sutton and others.
On at least one occasion in December 2023, Hamilton allegedly stole three dozen pieces of mail containing checks and credit cards during a single delivery run.
Sutton, 46, of Smyrna, Ga., subsequently used the stolen credit cards and cashed the checks for her personal benefit.
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Beyond mail theft, Sutton also allegedly conspired with Tonya Bailey, 58, of Ellenwood, Ga., who was an Assistant Financial Center Manager at a bank in Alpharetta.
Their collaboration involved opening bank accounts in the names of unsuspecting individuals to deposit the stolen $4.9 million U.S. Treasury check.
In February 2023, Sutton, wearing a dark-colored mask, allegedly opened a bank account at Bailey’s branch.
With Bailey’s assistance, the account was opened in the name of an entity that resembled the payee listed on the stolen check, which they then deposited.
Two weeks later, Sutton returned to the bank wearing a surgical mask. She allegedly drew two cashier’s checks, each for $150,000, from the account and opened two new bank accounts using stolen personally identifiable information, again with Bailey’s assistance.
They then deposited $300,000 into these new accounts.
The U.S. Secret Service intervened, seizing over $4.7 million from the fraudulently opened bank accounts.
The United States plans to seek forfeiture of these seized funds in the criminal case.
“Stealing mail, misusing personal information, and trying to wash a $4.9 million Treasury check are serious attacks on our financial system,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman of the IRS-Criminal Investigation Atlanta Field Office.
Sutton, Goode, and Hamilton face federal charges for conspiracy and theft of mail by a postal employee.
Sutton and Bailey were charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft.
Sutton also faces charges for possession of stolen mail, access device fraud, and a felon in possession of a firearm.
Sutton has a history of multiple prior felony convictions for theft, forgery, and identity fraud.
“Today’s arrests send a strong message to anyone who thinks mail theft and check fraud will go unpunished,” Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Ulrich of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General said. “Protecting the integrity of the U.S. Postal Service is our mission, and our special agents, along with our federal and local law enforcement partners, will aggressively investigate these federal crimes to protect the sanctity of the U.S. Mail and maintain the public’s trust.”
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