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3 Houston USPS Mail Carriers, 2 Others Accused of Check Theft Scheme

Federal prosecutors say the ring used encrypted Telegram chats and FedEx shipments to move stolen checks, including one worth $1.5 million.

  • A federal grand jury indicted five people on August 19 for an alleged check-theft scheme that generated more than $23 million over six years, including three USPS mail carriers and two Houston residents.
  • Federal prosecutors allege Tryston Tremaine Vaughn orchestrated the operation by recruiting postal carriers to steal checks, advertising them on the Telegram channel "slipsandchips" before shipping stolen items via FedEx.
  • Stolen checks ranged from nearly $10,000 to $1.5 million, with the group targeting financial institutions including Chase Bank, Citibank, and BMO Bank from October 2022 through this month.
  • Arrest warrants were issued Thursday, August 20, for all five defendants; however, as of Monday afternoon, only Catherine Clauzelle Kilpatrick had been arrested on charges including conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
  • Following the charges, residents expressed security concerns that echo an April 2025 USPS audit revealing deficiencies in mail theft prevention at Houston-area postal stations, prompting 11 recommendations.
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Texas man accused of recruiting mail carriers into multimillion-dollar check theft ring

Officials accused the ringleader of using Telegram to connect with buyers who wanted the stolen checks, and postal workers who would steal them.

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abc 13 Houston broke the news in Houston, United States on Sunday, August 23, 2026.
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