Two former U.S. Postal Service mail carriers, a former assistant bank manager from Alpharetta, and a convicted felon have been indicted on federal charges for allegedly participating in a scheme to steal valuable items from the mail, including a $4.9 million U.S. Treasury check, according to an April 30 announcement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
The case is significant due to the alleged abuse of positions within trusted institutions such as the Postal Service and banking sector, raising concerns about public trust and security of personal information.
U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said, “Francina Sutton worked with two corrupt U.S. Postal Service mail carriers to steal dozens of checks, credit cards, and gift cards from the mail and separately conspired with an assistant bank manager to launder a stolen $4.9 million U.S. Treasury check.” Hertzberg also said his office places special emphasis on prosecuting employees who use their roles inside trusted institutions to commit fraud against the public.
Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Ulrich of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General said, “Today’s arrests send a strong message to anyone who thinks mail theft and check fraud will go unpunished.” Joel Weaver from TIGTA added that it is their mission “to protect the integrity of the IRS and promote the fair administration of our federal tax system.” Demetrius Hardeman from IRS-CI Atlanta Field Office stated: “Stealing mail, misusing personal information, and trying to wash a $4.9 million Treasury check are serious attacks on our financial system.” Rodney M. Hopkins from the Postal Inspection Service said these indictments serve as “a resounding message” against exploiting postal services for crime.
According to court documents cited by Hertzberg, Shanda Goode and Carnisha Hamilton were employed as city carriers at post offices in Atlanta and Marietta between March 2020 through September 2025 when they allegedly stole checks, credit cards, gift cards, and other items for Francina Juantez Sutton or others’ use—including three dozen pieces during one delivery run in December 2023 alone.
Sutton is accused of conspiring with Tonya Bailey—then an assistant financial center manager at an Alpharetta bank—to open fraudulent accounts using stolen identities so they could deposit a stolen $4.9 million Treasury check; over $4.7 million was seized by authorities following these transactions.
The four defendants will be arraigned before Judge Lawrence R. Sommerfeld after being indicted on March 24; charges include conspiracy and theft (Goode/Hamilton/Sutton), conspiracy/bank fraud/money laundering/identity theft (Sutton/Bailey), plus additional charges for Sutton related to access device fraud and firearm possession due to prior felony convictions.
Authorities remind that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt at trial.
The case is being investigated by multiple agencies including United States Postal Service-Office of Inspector General; TIGTA; Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation; Secret Service; and Postal Inspection Service—with prosecution led by Assistant United States Attorney Sekret T. Sneed.
Theodore S. Hertzberg served as United States Attorney for this district according to official sources. The office covers north Georgia regions serving about 7.5 million residents according to its website, coordinates cases with national/international scope as reported, enforces criminal laws while representing civil matters according to its official website, prioritizes threats like terrorism/human trafficking/civil rights violations as outlined online, serves as principal federal law enforcement agency locally according to official sources.
