Sacramento woman Latomba Bishop, 33, was hit with a five-year-and-10-month federal prison sentence for running a brazen mail theft operation that relied on fraudulent vacation holds and forged change of address forms. The scheme allowed her and two co-conspirators to intercept victims’ personal mail, steal identities, and rack up thousands in fraudulent charges, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced today.
Bishop, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty on November 30, 2017, to charges of mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley also ordered her to pay $38,371 in restitution to the victims whose lives were upended by the fraud. The sentencing marks a hard fall for Bishop, who exploited weaknesses in the U.S. Postal Service system to enrich herself at the public’s expense.
According to court documents, Bishop teamed up with Joshua Yadon, 33, and Norman Thompson, 37—both also of Sacramento—to weaponize stolen personal data. They applied for credit cards, checks, and high-value merchandise in victims’ names, then rerouted the deliveries. By filing fake vacation mail holds and unauthorized change of address requests, the trio funneled the goods directly into their hands before the victims even knew they’d been targeted.
Thompson, already convicted of conspiracy, was sentenced on October 5, 2017, to three years and 10 months in federal prison. Yadon has also pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing on April 12, 2018. He faces a maximum penalty of five years behind bars and a $250,000 fine, though the final sentence will be determined by the court using federal sentencing guidelines and statutory factors.
Rafael Nunez, San Francisco Division Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, emphasized that the case was a coordinated takedown: “Postal Inspectors worked closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partners in law enforcement to arrest and prosecute those individuals responsible for the thefts of mail and financial crimes committed against the public.”
The investigation was led by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with critical support from the Davis Police Department, Sacramento County Probation, and the Woodland Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy J. Kelley handled the prosecution, sealing the fate of a crew that turned the postal system into a pipeline for crime.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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