U.S. Department
of Justice
U.S. v. Michael Atkinson, et al.
Case Description:
A federal grand jury in New Haven has returned a 19-count indictment charging MICHAEL ATKINSON, 27, of East Hartford; ROLAND McTAGGART, 27, of Hartford; SHARIF DJIBO, 28, of East Hartford; ROMARIO ROSE, 31, of Newington; JASHAWN ATKINSON, 23, of Hartford; and ADRIAN OLIVERO, 53, of New Britain, with offenses related to the cashing of stolen U.S. Treasury checks at a U.S. Post Office in Hartford. The indictment was returned on October 28, 2025, and Michael Atkinson, McTaggart, Djibo, Rose, Jashawn Atkinson, and RASHELLE SAILOR, 40, of Hartford, an alleged co-conspirator who is charged by federal criminal complaint, were arrested on November 6, 2025. Olivero is currently being sought by law enforcement.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, Michael Atkinson, McTaggart, Djibo, Rose, Jashawn Atkinson, Olivero, and others obtained stolen U.S. Treasury checks and cashed them at the Blue Hills Post Office on Woodland Street in Hartford, where Sailor was employed as a postal clerk. To ensure that there was sufficient cash available for a transaction, the co-conspirators often purchased postal money orders with cash prior to presenting the checks to Sailor who cashed them. Sailor also cashed stolen checks she had obtained herself. Between February and July 2025, the defendants cashed more than 1,300 stolen U.S. Treasury checks worth a total of more than $3.1 million. Of that total, Sailor was involved in the cashing of more than 1,200 checks worth more than $2.7 million.
Each of the defendants is charged with conspiracy, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, and with one or more counts of theft of government property, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years on each count. Each defendant is also charged with aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of two years.
Court Documents: