Two Temecula brothers, Anwer Fareed Alam, 36, and Yousofzay Fahim Alam, 34, have been sentenced to federal prison for defrauding the United States Postal Service (USPS) out of more than $2.1 million. The scheme involved filing fraudulent insurance claims on Priority Mail packages, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
Each brother received a 27-month prison sentence and was ordered to jointly pay restitution of $2,135,739. The fraud occurred between October 2016 and May 2019, when the Alam brothers devised a method to exploit the USPS insurance system.
The fraud began when Anwer Alam purchased USPS Priority Mail postage that included $100 insurance for lost or damaged packages. Alam would then fill the packages with little or no value and send them to fictitious recipients at nonexistent addresses. Meanwhile, Yousofzay Alam submitted fraudulent claims for these packages on the USPS website, falsely asserting that the items had been lost or damaged during transit.
To bolster their claims, the Alam brothers submitted fabricated invoices and photos of supposed items inside the packages, though these items were never actually present. They used aliases and fake business names to conceal the scope of their operation and evade detection.
USPS, based on these false claims, issued checks to cover the alleged losses, including $100 for insurance and shipping costs. These checks were sent to various addresses connected to the Alam brothers, including their home, business, and multiple P.O. boxes in Temecula. The fraudulent funds were deposited into the brothers’ bank accounts.
One notable instance of the fraud occurred in November 2018 when a $106.59 insurance claim check was issued and sent to a business address in Temecula.
This scheme allowed the Alam brothers to exploit the USPS insurance system for nearly three years before their illegal activities were discovered. The fraud was uncovered through a detailed investigation by federal authorities, leading to their conviction and sentencing.
Sheriff John Speir, presiding over the case, stated, “This was a coordinated and premeditated fraud against the United States Postal Service that impacted taxpayers and the system’s integrity. These lengthy prison sentences should send a clear message about the consequences of committing such crimes.”
With the restitution ordered, the Alam brothers will be required to repay the stolen funds, though the full recovery of the defrauded amount may be a lengthy process.
The case serves as a reminder of the importance of safeguarding public systems and holding individuals accountable for financial crimes that undermine trust in institutions like the USPS.
