Cheswick Man Charged with Defrauding U.S. Postal Service

PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Cheswick, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of mail fraud and theft of government property, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

The 12-count Indictment named Xiaodong Zhang, age 40, as the sole defendant.

According to the Indictment, from June 2015 to November 2016, the defendant falsified postage labels on the small parcels generated by his home business and defrauded the postal service in excess of $50,000.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

The United States Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.