A U.S. Postal Service mail carrier in Atlanta has pleaded guilty to stealing government checks from the very people he was supposed to serve—and faking documents to fraudulently claim pandemic relief money.
Why It Matters: Vershun Weaver’s crimes undermine the basic expectation that your mail carrier won’t rifle through your letters looking for cash. The breach of trust is particularly sharp because Weaver targeted customers on his own delivery route—people who likely saw him nearly every day.
What’s Happening: Weaver pleaded guilty to making false statements to the Small Business Administration and two counts of mail theft, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. He faces sentencing in February before U.S. District Judge Tiffany R. Johnson.
How He Got Caught: In July 2023, another postal employee borrowed Weaver’s mail truck and found his wallet. When a supervisor looked inside for identification, they discovered two U.S. Treasury checks—totaling $4,000—addressed to customers on Weaver’s route. Federal agents later found more stolen mail in Weaver’s personal vehicle.
The PPP Scheme: Weaver also fraudulently obtained a Paycheck Protection Program loan by submitting a fake income tax document, according to prosecutors. He spent the pandemic relief money on clothes and personal items—purchases explicitly prohibited under the loan’s terms.
Between the Lines: The case was a joint effort by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and the Small Business Administration. It’s part of the Justice Department’s COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force, established in 2021 to investigate pandemic-related fraud.
What They’re Saying: “Citizens should have absolute confidence that their mail is being handled, and delivered, by carriers of impeccable integrity,” U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said in a statement. “We will continue to work with our federal partners to root out and hold accountable government employees who compromise their integrity and violate the public’s trust.”
The Sources: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
