LOS ANGELES — Two men from Temecula, California, pleaded guilty on Friday to stealing over $2.3 million from the United States Postal Service through a mail scam.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office Central District of California said Anwer Fareed Alam, 35, and Yousofzay Fahim Alam, 31, both pleaded guilty to a count of mail fraud.
Authorities said that the crimes occurred between October 2016 and May 2019.
Officials said that Anwer and Yousofzay Alam bought packages and postage from USPS, which included $100 in insurance for lost or damaged packages, KTLA reported.
Anwer Alam reportedly wrapped the packages that had low-valued items or nothing at all inside. He then shipped them to fake addresses, officials said, according to the news outlet.
Yousofzay Alam allegedly then submitted the fraudulence insurance claims to USPS through its website and claimed that the packages were lost or damaged, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Yousofzay Alam provided fake invoices and photos of the items that were not in the packages.
Both of the brothers used fake names and fake businesses to hide the number of claims. According to KTLA, Anwer and Yousofzay Alam received checks for the alleged losses of around $100. Shipping costs were also added.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that the USPS lost at least $2,367,033.
Anwer and Yousofzay Alam are expected to be sentenced on Nov. 1 and could face a maximum of up to 20 years in federal prison.
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