Two individuals have been charged with cashing over $60,000 in stolen Postal money orders in Connecticut.
James Lebel, 40, of no certain address, and Michelle Barbeau, 51, of Brooklyn, Conn., are facing five counts of offenses related to the theft of U.S. Postal money orders, according to a federal indictment released yesterday.
As alleged in the indictment, Barbeau was employed by the U.S. Postal Service at the Wauregan Post Office in Plainfield. Between April and September 2017, Lebel and Barbeau conspired to take blank U.S. Postal money orders from the Wauregan Post Office and imprint them in various denominations.
Lebel then cashed more than $60,000 in fraudulently imprinted postal money orders at other post offices.
Lebel was arrested yesterday and is being held pending a hearing scheduled for September 26. Barbeau was arrested today and was released on a $100,000 bond.
The indictment charges Lebel and Barbeau with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, as well as four counts of wire fraud. Each charge carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000.
U.S. Attorney John H. Durham stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt and that charges are only allegations, with a defendant presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Miller.
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Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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