BALLANTYNE, N.C. — A former processing clerk at the Ballantyne Post Office was sentenced to 27 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for financial institution fraud after stealing $1.9 million worth of business checks, according to a release from the Department of Justice on Tuesday.
Dontavis Romario Truesdale, who worked for the United States Postal Service from November 2022 to April 2023, used his position as a processing clerk to steal more than 200 checks from businesses that had P.O. boxes at the location, according to court records.
He would then sell the stolen checks “to other co-conspirators.” Those people would then deposit the checks and withdraw the cash before the banks detected the fraud, records show.
Truesdale was released on bond after the sentencing hearing. He will be ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons once he is assigned a federal facility.
Channel 9 has reported extensively on theft and fraud issues in the USPS. In February, the postal service told Channel 9 it was taking steps to address concerns.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- 9 Investigates: Thieves can steal checks from the mail and sell them on the dark web
- Carrier says he was attacked, criticizes USPS response
- USPS takes action after string of mail thefts with master keys
VIDEO: Authorities say USPS worker in Ballantyne stole $1.9 million worth of checks
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
