A Miami U.S. Postal Service employee has been arrested in the alleged theft of over $1 million worth of U.S. Treasury checks, authorities said.
Sylvester Green Byrd, 35, was arrested Wednesday on charges of first-degree grand theft and fraudulent use or possession of personal identification, records showed.
Miami-Dade CorrectionsMiami-Dade Corrections
Sylvester Green Byrd
The arrest of Byrd was a result of an investigation at the U.S. Postal Service facility at 2200 Northwest 72nd Avenue near Miami International Airport, an arrest report said.
According to the report, multiple agencies including the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, U.S. Secret Service and North Miami Beach Police conducted the operation after receiving reports that a postal employee or employees were unlawfully removing U.S. Treasury checks from circulation.
While there, Postal agents saw Byrd conceal checks inside his shirt, and he was taken into custody, the report said.
A total of 451 checks were recovered with a value over $1 million, and the final confirmed total was expected to be larger, the report said.
The report said Byrd was using a iPhone and may have been communicating with potential co-conspirators, but no co-defendants were listed in the report.
Byrd was booked into jail and expected to appear in bond court on Thursday.
In a statement, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General said the investigation was ongoing.
“We can confirm this individual is employed with the Postal Service and is currently in a non-duty status,” the statement read, in part.