Two former Postal Service clerks and two men who resold what they took have been sentenced for stealing U.S. Treasury checks with a combined face value above $84 million from a Philadelphia mail plant. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says the four drew prison terms of 42, 63, 70 and 78 months. Only about $11 million of the checks was cashed.
How two clerks emptied the sorting machines
Saahir Irby, 28, and Tauheed Tucker, 25, both of Philadelphia, worked as mail processing clerks at the Postal Service’s Philadelphia Processing and Distribution Center. Prosecutors say they took thousands of envelopes holding Treasury checks from mail sorting machines and carried them out of the building. The thefts ran from June 2023 to September 2024.
The pair sold the checks to Cory Scott, 26, of Ardmore, and Alexander Telewoda, 26, of Clifton Heights. Scott and Telewoda advertised them for resale on the Telegram app. After they were paid, the release says, they mailed the checks to buyers around the country, who tried to cash them.
The Justice Department’s release calls them Treasury checks and does not say which programs issued them. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that they came from agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service, the Social Security Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs. For anyone waiting on a refund or benefit check by mail, the question is how long to wait before treating a missing check as stolen.
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The sentences, one by one
Judge Joshua D. Wolson sentenced Irby to 63 months in prison and Tucker to 42 months on October 19, each followed by three years of supervised release. Irby must pay restitution of $10,841,731.83 and forfeit $72,510. Tucker was ordered to pay $2,628,984.39 and forfeit $28,200.
Scott received 70 months on October 14, with forfeiture of $298,973. Telewoda drew the longest term, 78 months, in August, with forfeiture of $162,144.50. Both are tied to the same $10,841,731.83 restitution figure as Irby. All four pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiracy to steal government funds, theft of government funds and mail theft.
The ceilings were far higher. At the plea stage, the inspector general’s announcement listed maximums of 25 years for Irby and 20 years each for the other three. A grand jury had returned a superseding indictment in May 2025, and the pleas followed in 2026.
What was said in court, and who built the case
The Inquirer reported that Wolson called the crime a “significant, serious crime.” He said the Postal Service needs employees “operating the various lines” who are “honest and upright,” and that Irby “breached that trust.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Rice called Irby the “lynchpin” of the conspiracy and described the number and value of the checks as “eye popping.”
Irby’s lawyers attributed his conduct to a severe gambling addiction, the Inquirer reported, and Irby said he at one point sent 80% of his earnings to casinos. Prosecutors say he pocketed nearly $75,000 in profit over about a year. At sentencing he told the court he owes it to himself, and especially to his son, because he does not want the boy to follow his path.
Two dollar figures matter here. The face value of the stolen checks topped $84 million, but only about $11 million was negotiated at financial institutions, according to the Justice Department. The Inquirer reported that buyers purchased the checks online, often at a fraction of face value, and that the government paid out roughly $11 million on them.
Investigators came from the Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI and the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General. The Montgomery County Detective Bureau, Lower Merion Township police and the Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service gave substantial assistance.
U.S. Attorney David Metcalf announced the sentences, and Rice prosecuted. The plea announcement adds that Irby separately pleaded guilty to stealing and selling another batch of checks in August 2024 to an unnamed buyer. The Justice Department has not said how many payees’ checks were in the stolen envelopes.
When a check never arrives
Social Security’s handbook tells beneficiaries to contact an office right away if a check has not arrived within three business days after it is usually mailed. It says to call as well if a check is stolen, lost, destroyed or forged. Callers should have the claim number, the payment period the check covers, and the name and address that belong on it.
Social Security’s staff manual says a replacement check can be issued for a missing payment. It also warns that if both the original and the replacement are cashed, an overpayment results, so a beneficiary who receives both must return the original. A check reported stolen before it is cashed is handled as an immediate report.
Direct deposit takes the mail out of the path altogether. A my Social Security account lets beneficiaries change an address or direct deposit online. The checks in this case moved through the mail, and the sentences close the case on the four men. They do not tell a retiree whose check is four days late what to do on day four.
What if a Social Security check is four days late?
A check taken from the mail does not announce itself. The first clue is a payment that does not arrive, and Social Security’s handbook sets the clock at three business days after the usual mailing. A beneficiary who loses track of the date loses days.
The Social Security Check Protection Kit includes the 2026 payment calendar, so the expected date is known before it passes, and a first-24-hours plan for a late or missing payment. It also has an overpayment response worksheet for the case where an original and a replacement both get cashed.
Get the payment calendar and missing-check steps in the protection kit →
More Financial Reading
- 21 Ways to Stretch a $2,087 Social Security Check
- 15 Places to Find Your Share of the $4.25 Billion States Give Back
- 15 Ways Retirees Are Tapping a Record $14.9 Trillion in Home Equity
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Warren Cohen is a finance writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, covering personal finance topics including credit, banking, and beginner investing. He earned his degree in business administration from Arizona State University and began his career working in consumer finance, where he gained direct experience with lending and credit systems. He now writes for personal finance websites and fintech platforms, focusing on clear, practical content that helps readers make informed financial decisions.
