Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan | Department of Justice
Four individuals have pleaded guilty to their roles in a $63 million mail theft and check fraud conspiracy, according to an announcement from United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. The defendants—Jaiswan Williams of Rochester Hills, Daquan Foreman of Eastpointe, Vanessa Hargrove of Detroit, and Crystal Jenkins of Detroit—admitted to conspiracy to aid and abet bank and wire fraud. Williams also pleaded guilty to money laundering and acknowledged responsibility for $1.5 million in fraudulent pandemic unemployment insurance claims made between May 2020 and September 2021.
Hargrove and Jenkins were employees of the United States Postal Service who stole checks and negotiable instruments from the mail, including tax refund checks issued by the U.S. Treasury. They supplied these stolen items to Williams and Foreman, who managed online marketplaces selling the checks.
According to court documents, Hargrove and Jenkins provided the stolen checks to Williams and Foreman in exchange for payments. Williams and Foreman then marketed these checks for sale on Telegram Messenger channels named “Whole Foods Slipsss” (for high-value checks) and “Uber Eats Slips” (for lower-value ones). In this context, "slips" referred to stolen checks. Transactions were conducted off-platform using various electronic payment methods, after which buyers attempted to cash the checks through fraudulent means.
All four defendants face up to 30 years in prison for conspiracy charges. Williams faces an additional potential sentence of up to 20 years for money laundering.
Sentencing is scheduled before U.S District Judge Judith E. Levy: Jaiswan Williams on April 14, 2026; Daquan Foreman and Vanessa Hargrove on March 3, 2026; Crystal Jenkins on May 27, 2026.
The investigation was led by multiple agencies including the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and Department of Labor Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Particka is prosecuting the case.
"This multi-agency investigation was led by the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General (USPS-OIG), with the assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI); the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA); and the Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General (DOL-OIG), and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Particka," said Gorgon.
