Dewayne Morris Sr. and Dewayne Morris Jr., Conspiracy and Bank Fraud, California 2022

In a brazen scheme, a San Diego father and son duo has been accused of stealing $5 million in Postal money order forms using their insider position in the U.S. Postal Service.

Dewayne Morris Sr., a 62-year-old supervisor for post offices in Venice, Playa del Rey, and Marina del Rey, and his son, Dewayne Morris Jr., 39, of Inglewood, California, have been charged with multiple felony counts of bank fraud and conspiracy in connection with the theft of $5 million in Postal money order forms.

According to the indictment, Morris Sr. ordered and received 10,000 blank Postal money order forms, but approximately 5,100 of those forms were missing. With a maximum value of $1,000 per money order, the potential value of the missing money order forms is $5.1 million.

The indictment alleges that Morris Jr. distributed the missing money orders to co-conspirators, who used counterfeit driver's licenses bearing fictious identities to open checking and savings accounts at financial institutions throughout the country. The stolen money orders were then deposited into the accounts and withdrawn before the financial institutions detected the fraud.

In addition to the conspiracy charge, Morris Sr. and Morris Jr. are charged with three counts of bank fraud, each carrying a statutory maximum of 30 years' imprisonment. Morris Jr. is also charged with a fourth bank fraud count and an aggravated identity theft count based on a separate scheme involving the personal identifiable information of others.

“This father-and-son duo took advantage of the elder’s insider position to steal millions of dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “We and our law enforcement partners are committed to seeking justice in this case and others like it.”

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General are leading the investigation in this case.

Defendant Information

Defendant: Dewayne Morris Sr. and Dewayne Morris Jr.

Age: 62 and 39

City and State: Inglewood, California

Date: May 23, 2022

Sentence/Outcome: Charged with conspiracy and bank fraud

Dollar Amounts: $5 million

Charges

Conspiracy - Title 18, U.S.C., Section 371

Maximum penalty: Five years in prison; $250,000 fine or twice the pecuniary gain/loss

Bank Fraud - Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1344(2)

Maximum penalty: Thirty years in prison; $1 million fine or twice the pecuniary gain/loss

Aggravated Identity Theft - Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1028A

Penalty: Mandatory two years in prison

Forfeiture - Title 18, U.S.C., Sections 981(a)(1)(C), 982(a)(2), 982(b) and Title 28 U.S.C. Section 2461(c)

Agencies Involved

United States Postal Inspection Service

United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/postal-employee-and-son-charged-conspiracy-involving-stolen-postal-money-orders-worth