ATLANTA – A brazen scheme to pilfer new credit cards directly from the U.S. mail system has landed five individuals in federal court, all now admitting guilt. The ring operated for over a year, exploiting vulnerabilities at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and a private mail sorting facility to intercept and fraudulently use credit cards before they reached their intended recipients. The total fraud-related losses topped $1.7 million.
The operation, uncovered by the U.S. Secret Service and Postal Inspectors, centered around inside access. Cornelius Henderson, 23, of Riverdale, Georgia, used his airport baggage handling job to snatch mailbags containing the coveted new cards. Simultaneously, Treveyon Herring, also 23, was diverting mail from a private sorting facility. This wasn’t a smash-and-grab; it was a calculated, systematic exploitation of the postal system, according to U.S. Attorney John Horn.
Once the cards were in hand, the crew went to work. LaSuhn Turner, 25, of Stockbridge, Georgia, hit ATMs for quick cash advances. Brandon Foster, 24, of Stockbridge, Georgia, leveraged his position as a bank teller to process fraudulent transactions when presented with the stolen cards by his co-conspirators. The linchpin of the operation appears to have been Quentin Pickett, 25, of Jonesboro, Georgia, who allegedly coordinated interactions between the thieves and those extracting value from the stolen credit cards.
Herring is the last of the five to plead guilty to wire fraud conspiracy, bringing the case to a close. Pickett, facing charges of wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft, pleaded guilty on September 25, 2017, and agreed to a restitution order of $1,759,301.14. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on January 10, 2018. Henderson also pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft on the same date, agreeing to $429,142.26 in restitution and a sentencing date of January 9, 2018.
Turner, admitting to wire fraud conspiracy on August 30, 2017, agreed to a $70,483.05 restitution order and is slated for sentencing on December 5, 2017. Foster, pleading guilty to wire fraud conspiracy, faces sentencing soon as well. David M. McGinnis, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Charlotte Division, emphasized the agency’s commitment to protecting the mail, stating they take allegations of theft “seriously.”
Kenneth Cronin, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Atlanta Field Office, noted the “creative” nature of the scheme and vowed continued collaboration with law enforcement partners to target individuals who abuse positions of trust for personal gain. While the scheme is dismantled, the case serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing vulnerability of the mail system and the lengths criminals will go to exploit it for profit.
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Key Facts
- Agency: U.S. Secret Service
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Press Release
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