U.S. postal staff in Newark, NJ stole thousands in benefits

Two New Jersey U.S. postal workers are accused of stealing tens of thousands dollars each in federal unemployment benefits.

Federal prosecutors say 30-year-old Ross Clayton was an acting supervisor for the U.S. postal customer service in Newark in the summer of 2020, when he submitted phony applications and received a total of $90,000 dollars in federal benefits, across five separate debit cards.

Investigators say he withdrew $29,000, as announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig.

Khaori Monroe, a 28-year-old letter carrier also out of Newark, falsely applied and received $49,000 in federal funds during the same season, according to a complaint.

Monroe spent nearly half, Honig said.

All of the pre-loaded debit cards applied for through California under investigation were traced to either men by their phone numbers, according to prosecutors.

They were benefits made available under the CARES Act, following the record spike in unemployment amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Clayton and Monroe each face one federal count of wire fraud.

If convicted, each could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and a hefty fine.

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