WASHINGTON – Hachikosela Muchimba, 44, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a federal jury yesterday on charges of mail theft and bank fraud that illegally netted him over $1.6 million, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., and Special Agent in Charge Kathleen Woodson, of the U.S. Postal Service-Office of the Inspector General.
The jury found Muchimba guilty of conspiracy to commit theft of mail and bank fraud, theft of mail; bank fraud; engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from specified unlawful activity, and unlawful procurement of citizenship or naturalization. U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras scheduled sentencing for August 8, 2025, and detained the defendant until that time.
According to court documents, between December 2020 and March 2023, Muchimba was an employee of the U.S. Postal Service when he executed a scheme to steal U.S. Treasury checks and private party checks from the U.S. mail. Muchimba then deposited the checks, which he either altered and/or falsely endorsed, into bank accounts under his control.Muchimba altered some of the checks by removing the name of the proper payee on the checks and replacing it with his own name. Bank surveillance footage captured images of him making deposits and withdrawals of the funds. The total amount of the U.S. Treasury checks fraudulently deposited into Muchimba’s various bank accounts was just over $1.6 million.
Muchimba used the proceeds of the stolen checks to fund a lavish lifestyle that included international travel, stays at luxury hotels, and purchases at gentlemen’s clubs.
Muchimba was also found guilty at trial of unlawful procurement of naturalization. During the scheme, Muchimba applied to become a naturalized U.S. citizen and provided false information to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officers by telling them that he had not committed any crimes for which he had not been arrested. That offense carries a maximum penalty of ten years of incarceration and possible administrative denaturalization.
The maximum penalty for bank fraud is 30 years in prison; and for mail theft is five years in prison. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. Muchimba’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation into this matter was conducted by the U.S. Postal Service-Office of the Inspector General, the Department of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and Homeland Security Investigations.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S Attorneys John Borchert and Diane Lucas of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
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