A former Mobile postal worker admitted in federal court Tuesday to participating in a conspiracy which resulted in the theft of nearly $18 million in business checks sent through the mail, according to court documents.
Once Lewis turned over stolen checks to Williams, he then sold them via other coconspirators using an encrypted messaging platform called Telegram. In some cases, coconspirators made fraudulent deposits and withdrawals with the checks themselves rather than sell them through Telegram, according to court records.
Four days later, surveillance showed Lewis leave the customer service area and walk toward the workroom floor, shortly before the end of her shift. Agents followed Lewis, who walked to the mail sorting area, where she untucked her shirt, grabbed multiple pieces of mail and placed them in the waistband of her pants, leaving her shirt untucked afterward to conceal the pieces of mail. After stopping to speak with a co-worker, she left the building.
Lewis was instructed to drive to the Exxon and wait for Williams, who arrived in a Toyota Camry driven by his godmother. Once Williams approached Lewis and began speaking with her, Mobile County deputies took him into custody.