USPS worker pleads guilty to stealing unemployment money from Arizona

A USPS mail carrier has pleaded guilty for stealing unemployment money from the state of Arizona during the pandemic.

Jasmine-Royshell Kanisha Black used her job with USPS to find vacant homes or residences with barely checked mailboxes in Nevada and Arizona to fraudulently send claims, according to the U.S. Attorney for Nevada.

Officials said she and a co-conspirator, Vincent Okoye, were approved for nearly half a million dollars in unemployment.

The pair reportedly used other people's personal information, like names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers in order to apply for benefits, and would intercept debit cards sent from the Dept. of Economic Security before giving them to Okoye. 

Black faces up to 20 years in prison, a term of supervised release and a fine.

More Arizona headlines