Metro Atlanta man sentenced for $14K US Treasury stolen check fraud

He and an accomplice cashed four stolen checks at Alabama post offices

U.S Treasury Facility Prints Social Security Checks PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 18: In this photo illustration U.S. Treasury checks are piled at the U.S. Treasury printing facility July 18, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. President Obama recently stated that he can't guarantee retirees will receive their Social Security checks in August if the House and Senate can not reach an agreement on reducing the deficit. (Photo Illustration by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images) (William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)

By Kimberly Wright

A Marietta man was sentenced for a federal fraud case involving U.S. Treasury checks he tried to cash using stolen identification.

He and an accomplice ended up getting more than $14,200 fraudulently before leading police on a high-speed chase and being arrested.

Devin Zia Adkins, 33, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for conspiring to commit wire fraud after pleading guilty. He will also serve three years of supervised release.

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Court documents indicated Adkins and a co-conspirator, Sylena Christina Salikram, 40, of Brooklyn, New York, took stolen U.S. Treasury checks and tried to cash them at post offices in the Montgomery, Alabama, area on May 8 and 9, 2025.

They successfully cashed four stolen checks at four separate post offices, gaining more than $14,200 through fraud.

The two tried to cash 10 other checks at other locations, totaling more than $8,600, but were unsuccessful.

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“An important part of the U. S. Postal Inspection Service mission is protecting the integrity of the nation’s mail system from criminals seeking illicit financial gain,” said Shameka Jackson, Inspector in Charge of the Houston Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “The sentencing of Devin Zia Adkins should serve as a reminder that mail theft will not be tolerated, and we are committed to holding those responsible accountable.”

Officers learned of the check-cashing activities on May 9 and began looking for their vehicle. Finding the vehicle, officers conducted a traffic stop.

Adkins initially cooperated with police but suddenly sped away, leading law enforcement in a high-speed chase in excess of 125 mph that included Montgomery residential neighborhoods. At one point, the suspect’s vehicle collided with another.

Officers said they saw the suspects throwing paper documents out the car window. The pursuit ended when the suspects crashed their vehicle into a power pole.

“The crash was so severe, the engine and exhaust were completely separated from the vehicle,” U.S. Attorney Thomas Govan said. “Adkins endangered himself, the officers pursuing him, and innocent members of the public. The decision to flee turned a financial crime into a dangerous pursuit that could have resulted in someone being killed.”

Salikram pleaded guilty to this offense previously and was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison.

In addition to his prison sentence, the court also ordered Adkins to pay $14,229.97 alongside Salikram.

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