Overview
- A federal grand jury returned an indictment on Aug. 19, 2026 charging five people with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and multiple bank fraud counts, and the three named postal carriers also face theft-of-mail charges.
- Prosecutors allege Tryston Tremaine Vaughn recruited Catherine Clauzelle Kilpatrick, Drakkor Jamar Alexander and Malcolm Tiree Joubert to remove checks from mail routes and sell them.
- The indictment says stolen checks were posted for sale on a Telegram channel called “slipsandchips” and that purchased checks were shipped to buyers through FedEx.
- Federal filings link the operation to about $23,973,338.15 in acquired and sold checks, including a $1,517,875.27 check allegedly taken by Joubert and other checks ranging from roughly $9,858 to $79,894.
- Arrest warrants were issued Aug. 20, 2026 and reporting on Aug. 23–24 shows not all defendants were in custody while prosecutors say they will seek forfeiture and monetary judgments if there are convictions, a development that raises new questions about mail security and bank fraud controls.