DETROIT — Four individuals from Metro Detroit have been charged in a $63 million mail fraud scheme involving stolen checks that were later sold online, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan announced Friday.
Jaiswan Williams, 31, of Rochester Hills, Dequan Foreman, 30, of Eastpointe, and Vanessa Hargrove, 39, and Crystal Jenkins, 31, both of Detroit, are accused of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud.
Federal investigators allege that Hargrove and Jenkins, both employees of the United States Postal Service (USPS), intercepted checks from the mail—including U.S. Treasury tax refunds—and handed them over to Williams and Foreman, who in turn sold them on Telegram, a cloud-based messaging app.
The group allegedly marketed the stolen checks in two Telegram channels:
“Whole Foods Slipsss” for high-value checks
“Uber Eats Slips” for lower-value ones
The term “slips” refers to stolen checks, commonly used in these underground schemes. Prices varied based on check value, and payments were made using digital financial platforms. Buyers would then attempt to fraudulently cash the checks.
Williams also faces money laundering charges and is accused of filing fraudulent pandemic unemployment insurance claims totaling millions between August and December 2020.
“These crimes harm real people who are counting on those checks for essentials,” said IRS-CI Special Agent Charles Miller. U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. added, “We will prosecute those who abuse the public trust.”
If convicted, the conspiracy charge carries up to 30 years in federal prison.
The investigation involved agents from the USPS Office of Inspector General, IRS-Criminal Investigation, and other federal partners.
