Philadelphia Man Sentenced To 12 Months In Prison For Role In Forging U.S. Postal Service Money Orders

TRENTON, N.J. – A Philadelphia man was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison for his role in a conspiracy to forge U.S. Postal Service money orders, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Yacouba Magadji, 36, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Mary L. Cooper to an Information charging him with one count of conspiracy to falsely and materially alter money orders. Judge Cooper imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Magadji and others allegedly agreed to buy U.S. Postal Service money orders for small amounts and then alter them to show a higher face value. Magadji met three times with buyers who were actually confidential informants. At each meeting, Magadji sold the confidential informant 10 money orders with an apparent face value of $1,000. Each of the money orders had been purchased for a much smaller amount, and then altered.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Cooper sentenced Magadji to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution of $392,646.

Fishman credited inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Newark, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Maria Kelokates,n with the investigation leading to today’s sentence.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charlton A. Rugg of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.

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Defense counsel: Pasquale F. Giannetta Esq., of Wayne, N.J.