HOUSTON – The man federal prosecutors say ran a multimillion-dollar mail theft operation in the Houston area is also out on bond for murder in Fort Bend County, according to records.
Tryston Tremaine Vaughn is one of five people a federal grand jury has now indicted on fraud charges. Prosecutors say he recruited at least three U.S. Postal Service carriers to steal more than $23 million in checks from their mail routes, then sold them through a Telegram channel called “SlipsandChips.” The alleged scheme began in 2022, and the stolen checks were shipped across the country, according to federal prosecutors.
Shooting over a necklace preceded the federal case
More than a year before the federal indictment, Stafford Police told KPRC 2 News Vaughn was involved in a fatal shooting at a motel parking lot off the Southwest Freeway in March of last year. Surveillance images, according to Stafford Police, show Vaughn opening fire on a moving car. Police say he went to that parking lot looking for the person he believed had stolen a $92,000 necklace.
The bullets did not hit the intended target. Instead, 22-year-old Kerry Thomas, who police described as more of a bystander, was shot and died. According to his online obituary, Thomas moved to the Houston area with his family after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans.
Stafford Police arrested Vaughn for murder last March. He posted a $600,000 bond last May, according to records, and was released from jail.
Vaughn was also charged with theft of a firearm but the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office said the charge has not been formally filed and will be handled with the murder case.
“We are aware of the pending federal charges and have been working with the federal authorities. Both investigations have been careful not to compromise the other. The murder charge and the federal mail charges are not related,” a spokesperson for the DA’s office told KPRC 2 News.
Federal indictment adds to legal troubles
Now, more than a year after that release, a federal grand jury has charged Vaughn in connection with the check theft scheme. Federal prosecutors say the operation involved at least three Houston-area USPS carriers who stole checks directly from their mail routes.
Records show Vaughn has previous arrests in Harris County on charges involving assault of a family member, unauthorized use of a vehicle, violation of a protective order, and weapons-related charges, but four of those five cases ended in dismissals.
Response from investigators
The U.S. Postal Inspector would not provide additional details, citing an ongoing investigation.
The U.S.P.S. Office of Inspector General, which investigates fraud within the postal service, shared this statement with KPRC 2 News:
“The United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG) takes mail theft very seriously. A core function of our work is the prevention and investigation of internal mail theft through our audits and investigations. We continue to focus on postal employees who steal from the mail, with a growing emphasis on external criminal organizations that target, recruit, and collude with them to steal valuables items like checks and credit cards. Whenever allegations arise concerning postal employees, USPS OIG special agents conduct thorough and diligent investigations to address those claims. The U.S. Postal Service employs more than 625,000 employees and is the largest civilian federal workforce in the country. The overwhelming majority of Postal Service employees, which serve the public, are honest, hardworking, and trustworthy individuals who would never consider engaging in any type of criminal behavior. If a citizen suspects any wrongdoing by a U.S. Postal Service employee, I encourage them to go to our website and submit a Hotline Complaint at: https://www.uspsoig.gov/hotline. For more information on our agency, USPS OIG, please visit the following link: https://www.uspsoig.gov/investigations.”
Of the five people indicted, Vaughn was taken into custody Monday evening and court records show one of the mail carriers allegedly involved, Catherine Kilpatrick, was arrested Monday.
The other three, Drakkor Jamar Alexander, Malcolm Tiree Joubert, and Alyssa Nadine Bryant, are not in custody.
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