SANTA ANA, California
A U.S. Postal Service (USPS) supervisor pleaded guilty Friday to stealing approximately $284,000 in checks and up to $40,000 in other items—including gold and collector-type currency such as a Confederate $10 bill—from the U.S. mail, officials stated.
Jovian Tjuana Hayes, 36, of Compton, who was a supervisor at the Costa Mesa Post Office, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of mail matter by a Postal Service employee and one count of unlawful transfer, possession, and use of means of identification.
U.S. District Judge John W. Holcomb scheduled a May 23 sentencing hearing. Hayes faces up to five years in federal prison for theft and up to 15 years for unlawful transfer.
According to her plea agreement, from early last year until December 2024, while on duty with USPS, Hayes stole mail from the Costa Mesa Post Office, including mailed checks. She then deposited the checks into her own bank accounts by forging the payees listed on them.
Hayes stole at least 20 checks totaling approximately $284,000, which she then deposited into her bank accounts at various banks. She also stole and deposited $3,000 in postal money orders that had been mailed.
She deposited the stolen checks using her banks’ mobile apps and ATMs. During some of the ATM deposits, Hayes wore a blue T-shirt bearing the USPS logo.
During a search of Hayes’ residence last month, law enforcement found multiple gold coins and bills of U.S. currency sent by registered mail. Hayes had stolen these items from the Costa Mesa Post Office. Among those items were a $1 bill dating from 1917 with a sticky note listing a value of $675, a $100 bill dating from 1914 valued at $1,500, and a $10 Confederate States of America bill.
During that same search, federal agents also found various gold pieces, including a $5 piece with a sticky note listing its value at $1,600.
Federal agents also found inside Hayes’ bedroom a pink wallet containing a $2,599 U.S. Treasury check payable to a victim addressed to a location in Costa Mesa. The defendant had also stolen the check from the mail at the Costa Mesa Post Office.
The intended loss from Hayes’ mail theft is approximately $304,000 to $324,288.
This includes approximately $284,000 in stolen checks that Hayes deposited into her various bank accounts and approximately $20,000 to $40,000 in other items, including gold coins and currency, she stole from the mail.
The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General investigated this matter.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles E. Pell of the Orange County Office is prosecuting the case.