Former Washington, D.C., letter carrier Hachikosela Muchimba was sentenced to 66 months in federal prison on September 3, 2025, after a jury convicted him of stealing and fraudulently depositing more than $1.6 million in checks. The Department of Justice said the proceeds funded international travel, luxury hotels and $100,000 in spending at gentlemen’s clubs; its releases do not identify Bali or any specific club.
How the check-fraud scheme worked
According to the Department of Justice, the scheme ran from December 2020 through March 2023, while Muchimba worked as a letter carrier based in Friendship Heights, Washington, D.C. The stolen mail included U.S. Treasury checks and checks from private parties intended for postal customers on more than 30 routes. He deposited checks into accounts he controlled, sometimes while wearing his USPS uniform. Checks were altered or falsely endorsed, including by replacing the payee’s name with his own. Bank surveillance recorded deposits and withdrawals. DOJ’s sentencing announcement and its conviction announcement describe the scheme.
How much was stolen?
DOJ described the scheme after conviction as involving more than $1.6 million. At the earlier charging stage, the USPS Office of Inspector General reported that the complaint alleged $1,697,909.52 in fraudulently deposited checks. The OIG also said investigators recovered an ATM receipt for a $415,173.53 Treasury check deposit. Those exact amounts come from the 2023 complaint announcement, not the later jury verdict or sentence. The OIG release described allegations at the time; a federal jury subsequently convicted Muchimba.
What the jury convicted him of
On March 14, 2025, a federal jury found Muchimba guilty of conspiracy to commit mail theft and bank fraud, mail theft, bank fraud, a monetary transaction involving property derived from specified unlawful activity, and unlawful procurement of citizenship or naturalization. DOJ said he became a naturalized U.S. citizen on May 26, 2022, while the scheme was ongoing, and falsely stated on his citizenship application that he had not committed criminal activity. The court revoked his citizenship because it had been unlawfully procured.
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Sentence, restitution and forfeiture
On September 3, 2025, U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras sentenced Muchimba to 66 months in prison. The court also ordered $651,068.35 in restitution to victims and $1,273,403.36 in forfeiture of ill-gotten gains. DOJ said he would be subject to deportation. The sentencing release reports the final penalties.
What is established about the Bali and club-spending claims
DOJ’s sentencing announcement says proceeds funded international travel and luxury hotel stays, as well as $100,000 in purchases at gentlemen’s clubs. The DOJ releases reviewed do not name Bali or particular venues, so those details should not be attributed to the government’s account without separate supporting reporting. The Miami Herald’s September 4, 2025 report provides additional reporting and quotes from court filings, including prosecutors’ description of the scheme as “consistent, devious, and confident” and the defense’s characterization of the criminal conduct as an isolated episode in an otherwise law-abiding life.
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Case timeline
- December 2020–March 2023: DOJ says the mail-theft and bank-fraud scheme was active.
- September 20, 2023: Muchimba was arrested at Dulles International Airport as he attempted to board a flight to Zambia. DOJ said he had $2,000 in cash in his luggage.
- March 14, 2025: A federal jury convicted him on the listed counts.
- September 3, 2025: Judge Contreras imposed the prison sentence, restitution and forfeiture; the court also revoked his citizenship.
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