Postal worker accused of stealing $281,000 worth of cash, coins and checks from the post office

A U.S. Postal Service employee was arrested Thursday on suspicion of stealing 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, has been 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 nearly two dozen checks from the office since July, prosecutors said.

Hayes allegedly deposited the checks into her accounts at various banks by forging the payees’ signatures, prosecutors said. One of those checks was for more than $114,000, authorities said.

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Surveillance camera footage allegedly shows Hayes depositing the stolen checks at ATMs in Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley and Compton, prosecutors said.

According to authorities, she is also suspected of stealing tens of thousands of dollars worth of cash and gold coins.

Federal agents searched Hayes’ Compton home and her vehicle, a 2023 BMW, on Thursday.

The matter was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General.

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.