Postal worker accused of stealing $1.7M arrested at Dulles

A former U.S. Postal Service worker has been arrested and charged with mail theft and bank fraud after allegedly stealing checks out of the mail worth a total of almost $1.7 million, according to the U.S. Department of Treasury.

Hachikosela Muchimba, 43, started working at the Friendship Post Office in Northwest D.C. in 2020. From October 2021 to March 2023, he allegedly stole U.S. Treasury checks out of mailboxes and altered them with his name and address to deposit them into his bank accounts.

Investigators reported that Muchimba deposited 98 misappropriated checks into seven different accounts. Most of the stolen checks were from the Treasury; the rest were issued by private parties.

Another postal worker admitted Muchimba recruited her to steal for him, according to court documents. He paid her $1,000 to steal a check from the mail for him, prosecutors say. Muchimba paid her via CashApp about one week after she stole the check and gave it to him.

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Prosecutors say they sat down with Muchimba and his attorney this summer and presented all of the evidence, but after hearing the strength of the government’s case, the defendant rejected a pre-indictment plea offer and tried to flee the United States on a plane to Africa.

On Tuesday, law enforcement learned that Muchimba purchased a plane ticket to Zambia for Wednesday using a card under someone else’s name, according to court documents.

Muchimba was arrested at Dulles International Airport before he could board the flight Wednesday morning. At the time of his arrest, he was found with a new passport issued by Zambia in July and $2,000 cash in his luggage.