14 DAY TRIAL // A corrupt US Postal Service mail carrier has been sentenced to 111 months in prison and three years of supervised release for being involved in a stolen identity refund fraud scheme. The man, Vernon Harrison, of Montgomery, Alabama, will also have to pay $82,791 (€61,082) restitution.
In July, Harrison was found guilty of conspiracy to file false claims, aggravated identity theft, mail fraud and embezzlement from the mail.
The scheme Harrison took part in was actually very clever. His accomplices filed false tax returns by using stolen identities. The tax returns were filed from various locations on the Postal Service worker’s mail route.
The refunds were placed on debit cards. When the payment cards arrived via mail, Harrison stole them and gave them to a co-conspirator in exchange for money. Authorities say the man took over 100 debit cards.