CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Dontavis Romario Truesdale, 28, of Charlotte, was sentenced today to 27 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for financial institution fraud. He stole $1.9 million in business checks from the post office where he worked, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Kathleen Woodson, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General (USPS-OIG) for the Mid-Atlantic Area Field Office (MAAFO), Rodney Hopkins, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which oversees Charlotte, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department joined U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.
According to court records, from November 2022 to April 2023, Truesdale worked as a processing clerk at the Ballantyne Post Office in Charlotte. Using his position and access, Truesdale stole hundreds of business checks from customers with post office boxes there. He then sold the stolen checks to co-conspirators who used them to commit bank fraud. Over the course of the scheme, Truesdale stole more than 200 checks with a total face value exceeding $1.9 million.
After the sentencing hearing, Truesdale was released on bond. He must report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons once assigned a federal facility.
In today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked USPS-OIG, USPIS, and CMPD for their work investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Smith from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
