U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that WANDA JAMES, age 46, of Kentwood, pled guilty today to a one-count Bill of Information charging her with making false entries and reports of money belonging to the United States, and in the care, custody and control of the United States Postal Service.
According to court documents, from on or about Sept. 10, 2013 through and including on or about Feb. 3, 2014, JAMES, being a Postal Service officer or employee charged with the duty of receiving, holding, or paying over moneys on behalf of the United States, knowingly and willfully made false reports of such moneys. On sixteen separate occasions, JAMES falsely recorded cash purchases of money orders as debit card purchases on her daily financial reports. She did this so she could steal the cash from the money order purchases and conceal the theft by reporting sales as debit card transactions, when, in fact, she well knew that no such purchases had been made. JAMES stole approximately $2,611.00 of United States funds in the custody of the Postal Service.
JAMES faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and restitution to the United States. U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo set sentencing for Sept. 3, 2015.
U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Office Of Inspector General, in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sharan E. Lieberman is in charge of the prosecution.
Wanda James Factual Basis (114.21 KB).
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
