USPS Supervisor Arrested For Stealing $369K From Postal Mail

BLACK JACK, MISSOURI—A United States Postal Service supervisor, Benita D. Randle, 43, was arrested for stealing over $396,000 in checks from postal mail. She pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of theft of mail by a U.S. Postal Service employee. John W. Harrison, 26, of Black Jack, Missouri, pleaded guilty on February 10, 2026, to one count of possession of stolen mail matter.

Randle was a supervisor at the St. Louis Processing and Distribution Center, which processes, sorts and distributes all non-parcel mail for the St. Louis metropolitan areas. She had access to all the mail at the center. Between September and October of 2023, Randle stole mail containing checks and gave the mail to Harrison, who opened the mail and removed the checks.

Randle’s crime was uncovered when her leased Nissan Juke was repossessed for her failure to maintain insurance. The car dealership found Harrison’s backpack, which contained an AR-style handgun, cocaine, fentanyl and loose checks, and called the St. Charles Police Department.

After officers arrived at the dealership, so did Randle, who falsely claimed that she did not handle mail in her job. She later lied to investigators with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General that she never drove the Juke and did not have access to mail.

Investigators determined that Randle stole 89 checks from mail that belonged to dozens of victims. They also found one counterfeit check that bore the same bank account and payor information as one of the stolen checks. The total face value of the 90 checks was $369,248.

Randle is scheduled to be sentenced on August 20 and Harrison on June 3. They face a penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both prison and a fine.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and the St. Charles Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.

The Beverly Hills Police Department informed Canyon News via email on March 18, 2026, they are alerting residents and business owners to a serious financial scam involving IRS tax payment checks that are stolen from the mail and fraudulently altered.

The BHPD identified multiple incidents impacting Beverly Hills residents and businesses, consistent with similar cases reported throughout the United States, in which large IRS tax payments, often ranging from $100,000 to $500,000, were mailed through the USPS but never reached the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In these instances, the IRS payment checks were intercepted from the mail, altered, and deposited into the suspect’s bank account.

Victims often did not discover the crime until several months later, when they receive notice from the IRS that their tax payment was never received. By that time, the altered check has already cleared, the funds have been withdrawn in cash, and the suspect account has been closed.

Due to delays in discovery, bank surveillance footage and other investigative leads are often no longer available, making the prosecution of these crimes unlikely. It is vital to understand that once these funds are withdrawn, the loss is usually permanent. If you fall victim to this scam, law enforcement and financial institutions are typically unable to recover the stolen funds.

The BHPD is asking residents and businesses to submit IRS tax payments electronically whenever possible by visiting the official IRS website at irs.gov. Electronic payment is the most secure way to ensure tax payments are received by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

If a physical check must be mailed, residents should regularly review their bank statements and examine the deposited check image in their banking portal to confirm it was processed by the intended recipient, the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Reviewing the cleared check image in a timely manner may be the only opportunity to detect suspicious activity before funds are withdrawn.

The BHPD is asking residents and businesses to take immediate precautions and report any suspected mail theft or check fraud. Police reports can be filed with BHPD at the station or by calling the non-emergency line at 310-550-4951 to request an officer to respond to you.

For concerns related to mail theft within the postal system, reports may also be submitted to the USPS Office of Inspector General at hotlineform.uspsoig.gov.