Brad Schimel, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on September 25, 2026, Coran D. Smith (age 47) was sentenced to 36 months’ incarceration for committing a scheme to attempt to negotiate two stolen checks, with a total value of nearly two million dollars. One of the checks was a U.S. Treasury check, and the other was a State of Illinois check. Both had been stolen from the mail.
According to court records, in March 2023, Smith participated in a bank fraud scheme that involved the production of a false driver’s license in the name of another real person, as well as other false documents in that same person’s name. These false documents were designed to mislead two financial institutions into negotiating the stolen checks. Thanks to alert personnel at each targeted financial institution, Smith and his accomplices failed in their attempts to negotiate either stolen check.
“Federal law enforcement is committed to pursuing and catching those who commit fraud against the people of the United States,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Schimel. “As this case demonstrates, if you steal from the taxpayers, you will be held accountable.”
“The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) aggressively investigates individuals who attempt to exploit U.S. Treasury refund checks meant for hardworking taxpayers for their own private gain,” said TIGTA Special Agent in Charge Kelly Moening. “TIGTA’s mission is to protect the integrity of our nation’s tax administration system. We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to ensure that those who violate federal laws are prosecuted to the fullest extent possible.”
Nicholas Bucciarelli, Inspector in Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, added, “The sentencing in this case shows the Postal Inspection Service does not tolerate mail theft and will hold those individuals who choose to steal U.S. Mail accountable through criminal prosecution.”
The case was investigated by the Postal Inspection Service and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephen A. Ingraham.
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Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Eastern District of Wisconsin — U.S. Department of Justice press release.