Former Stamford Postal Employee Sentenced To Federal Prison For Stealing Mail, Bank Fraud Scheme: Feds

STAMFORD, CT — A former Stamford postal employee was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison Tuesday for fraud and mail theft offenses, according to an announcement from David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

Kierra Blount, 35, formerly of Stamford and currently living in Plymouth, N.C., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford. In addition to her prison sentence, Blount was sentenced to three years of supervised release.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Blount, at times while employed by the U.S. Postal Service in Stamford, stole mail and obtained stolen mail to get checks that were payable to other individuals, Sullivan said.

In approximately November 2021, Blount opened a bank account using the name and social security number another unknowing individual, Sullivan said.

Blount and others fraudulently changed the payee names on stolen checks to the name of the identity theft victim, forged the victim’s signature on the back of the checks, and deposited them into the bank account Blount opened, Sullivan said.

From November 2021 until the account was closed in April 2022, Blount and others deposited approximately $156,000 in fraudulent checks into the account. Some check deposits were reversed by the bank, and Blount and others used approximately $81,000 for their own purposes, Sullivan added.

On June 20, 2023, investigators conducted a court-authorized search of Blount’s Stamford residence and seized a significant amount of stolen mail and other items related to the scheme, Sullivan noted, including debit cards in the names of other individuals, checks totaling more than $285,000, and sheets of paper containing personal information of other individuals, including names, dates of birth, addresses, email addresses, and security question answers.

An analysis of cell phones seized from Blount on that date revealed images of stolen checks, personal identifying information for more than 50 individuals, and communications using the Telegram app with unknown individuals involved in the scheme, Sullivan said.

Blount was charged by indictment on March 26, 2024, and was arrested on June 17, 2024.

On Aug. 29 of this year, she pleaded guilty to bank fraud and unlawful possession of stolen mail.

Blount, who is released on a $75,000 bond, is required to report to prison on April 8.