New Jersey Man Sentenced For Conspiracy To Commit Mail Fraud

Jackson, Miss. - James Lewis Johnson, 61, of New Jersey, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge William H. Barbour, Jr. to 86 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit mail fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis and Postal Inspector in Charge Robert Wemyss. Johnson was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $107,926.43.

Johnson pled guilty on May 21, 2014 to his involvement in a Nigerian run fraudulent scheme involving Craigslist postings. The scheme involved the mailing and shipping of hundreds of USPS Express mail parcels containing counterfeit postage, USPS money orders and cashier checks. Mr. Johnson printed the counterfeit postage, money orders and checks, mailed them, received money from the victims and forwarded the money to the primary operators in Nigeria via Western Union. The investigation revealed over 590 wire transactions and over 100 mailings in furtherance of the scheme to defraud, with a total victim financial loss of more than $534,600.

"The Postal Service will continue to identify and pursue dishonest mailers who deliberately avoid proper payment of postage. When unscrupulous people use the mail to defraud, Postal Inspectors will not hesitate to ensure they are brought to justice," said Inspector in Charge Robert Wemyss. "Unfortunately, in these challenging economic times, the Postal Inspection Service has no shortage of fraud schemes to investigate."

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Meridian Police Department.