Breanna Lee Cartledge, age 28, of Clinton, Maryland, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, in connection with a scheme to defraud financial institutions by creating fake checks using information Cartledge intercepted as a Clerk with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).
The guilty plea was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland and Acting Special Agent in Charge Peter Brown of the U.S. Postal Service – Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG).
According to her guilty plea, Cartledge utilized her position as a USPS employee to wrongfully access USPS money orders and individual mail to illegally obtain the personal information of victim individuals and businesses, which she and her co-conspirators used without the victims’ authorization.
For example, after a co-conspirator texted Cartledge requesting pictures of checks, Cartledge sent the co-conspirator images of at least nine separate money orders or checks that contained personal identifying information with the intent that the information be used to create fake checks to steal from victim accounts.
As detailed in the plea agreement, on May 28, 2020, Cartledge negotiated a counterfeit check fraudulently drawn for $4,900 from the account of a victim, but the transaction was reversed by the bank. Cartledge admitted that she abused her position as a USPS Clerk to facilitate the commission or concealment of the offense.
Cartledge faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Lydia K. Griggsby has scheduled sentencing for October 19, 2023, at 2:00 p.m.
U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the USPS-OIG for its work in the investigation. Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant United States Attorneys G. Michael Morgan and Darren Gardner, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
