Former U.S. Postal Service Officer Pleads Guilty to Theft and Sale of Checks Addressed to Pittsburgh Area Businesses

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Monroeville, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of theft of mail, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

Ahmad Omar Shareef, 35, pleaded guilty to four counts before United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand.

In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, on several occasions from October 2023 to April 2024, Shareef-a former U.S. Postal Service Human Resource Officer at the Bloomfield Post Office-removed and stole business checks contained in U.S. mail addressed to Pittsburgh area businesses. Shareef then used an encrypted messaging app to sell the checks to buyers in other cities. This mail included more than 450 checks recovered from Shareef and his property that were addressed to businesses in Pittsburgh area neighborhoods and that totaled more than $6 million. Nearly $250,000 of that total was fraudulently negotiated by buyers, with Shareef admitting to earning an estimated $20,000 through the scheme.

Judge Wiegand scheduled sentencing for March 25, 2025. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Gregory C. Melucci is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The U.S. Postal Service - Office of Inspector General and United States Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Shareef.