Mail Carrier In West Caldwell Among 4 Charged With Conspiracy: AG

CALDWELL, NJ — Authorities arrested four men earlier this week in connection with a conspiracy to steal mail, including a U.S. Postal Service carrier who worked in West Caldwell, federal prosecutors said.

Police in Caldwell, Fairfield, Millburn and Boonton worked with the Union County Prosecutor’s Office and the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General during the investigation.

Jarid Brooks, 27, Justin Brooks, 21, Kyjuan Hutchins, 21, and Kyle Williams, 35, all of Vauxhall, were charged with conspiracy, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors alleged:

“From July 2019 to August 2020, Williams allegedly stole credit cards from the U.S. mail in the course of his employment for the U.S. Postal Service, provided those credit cards to Jarid Brooks, Justin Brooks, and Hutchins, and the defendants thereafter fraudulently activated those credit cards and then used those credit cards to make and attempt to make purchases without the cardholders’ authorization, including buying gift cards and electronics. The investigation to date has revealed that the victims have incurred over approximately $80,000 in intended and actual loss from fraudulent purchases made using their stolen credit cards. The defendants also schemed to fraudulently use over $11,000 of funds pre-loaded onto Economic Impact Payment (EIP) cards issued by the U.S. Department of Treasury and sent in the U.S. mail pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act that were stolen from the mail.”

The conspiracy charge is punishable by a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, prosecutors said.

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