Former Tallahassee postal worker and accomplice sentenced for stealing mail, bank fraud

Prosecutors said the defendants used a stolen postal key to steal checks from the mail and commit bank fraud.

A former Tallahassee postal employee and an accomplice are headed to federal prison for using a stolen postal key to steal checks from the mail and commit bank fraud.

Jaheed Anthony Williams, 24, was sentenced to four years in federal prison, while Taija Avion Smith, 25, received a two-year sentence, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida announced. Both are Tallahassee residents.

The pair previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail theft, theft of a mail key, bank fraud conspiracy and multiple counts of aggravated identity theft. Williams also pleaded guilty to 14 counts of bank fraud.

Smith worked for the U.S. Postal Service in Tallahassee from March 2021 until May 2024. Prosecutors said her job gave her access to a postal key, which she stole and provided to Williams.

The pair then used the key to steal mail, including checks, according to court records. They fraudulently deposited stolen checks at financial institutions and split the proceeds. Prosecutors said Smith also obtained and used other people’s online banking login credentials.

“Our citizens deserve to be able to rely upon the U.S. Postal Service to quickly, efficiently, and securely deliver the mail,” U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin said, adding that Smith “violated the position of trust she occupied” as a postal employee.

The Tallahassee Police Department, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and USPS Office of Inspector General jointly investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric K. Mountin served as the prosecutor.