ATLANTA—Two former U.S. Postal Service mail carriers, a former bank manager and a convicted felon have been charged in a scheme to steal mail and launder millions of dollars, including a $4.9 million U.S. Treasury check, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
Federal prosecutors said the alleged scheme involved stealing checks, credit cards and gift cards from the mail over several years and using the proceeds for personal gain.
Francina Juantez Sutton, 46, of Smyrna; Shanda Goode, 57, of Douglasville; Carnisha Hamilton, 42, of Marietta; and Tonya Bailey, 58, of Ellenwood, were indicted by a federal grand jury and were scheduled to be arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lawrence R. Sommerfeld, authorities said.
Goode and Hamilton, who were employed as city carriers with the U.S. Postal Service, are accused of stealing mail containing financial instruments and selling it to Sutton and others between March 2020 and September 2025. In one instance in December 2023, Hamilton allegedly took dozens of pieces of mail containing checks and credit cards during a single delivery route, prosecutors said.
Sutton is accused of using the stolen credit cards and cashing checks. Prosecutors allege she also conspired with Bailey, a former assistant financial center manager at a bank in Alpharetta, to open fraudulent accounts and deposit a stolen $4.9 million Treasury check.
How Scheme Worked
According to authorities, Sutton and Bailey used stolen personal information to open additional accounts and move funds, including withdrawing $300,000 through cashier’s checks. The U.S. Secret Service seized more than $4.7 million from the accounts, and the government is seeking forfeiture of the funds.
U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said the case underscores the government’s focus on crimes involving abuse of trusted positions.
“My office places a special emphasis on prosecuting employees who abuse their positions inside trusted institutions to steal from and defraud the public,” Hertzberg said in a statement.
Additional Charges Possible
Sutton faces additional charges including bank fraud, money laundering, aggravated identity theft, possession of stolen mail, access device fraud and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Bailey faces charges related to bank fraud and money laundering, while Goode and Hamilton are charged with conspiracy and theft of mail by a postal employee, prosecutors said.
Authorities said Sutton has prior felony convictions for theft, forgery and identity fraud.
