FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, October 19, 2026
U.S. Postal Employees Indicted for Stealing Checks from Mail
Defendants Assigned to East New York Post Office Allegedly Stole Nearly $15,000
From Mail They were Supposed to Deliver on Their Routes
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, together with Matthew M. Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Area Field Office, U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service New York Division Inspector in Charge Darnell Edwards, today announced that two U.S. Postal employees have been arraigned on indictments charging them with stealing checks from mail they were supposed to deliver to residents.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “The defendants in this case were entrusted to deliver mail, including checks, safely to residents of East New York. Instead, they allegedly seized on an opportunity to enrich themselves by repeatedly stealing checks instead of delivering them. We will now seek to hold them accountable thanks to the work of our prosecutors, our Postal Service partners and the NYPD.”
Special Agent in Charge Modafferi said, “The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General is committed to investigating allegations of employee misconduct and protecting the integrity of the Postal Service. We appreciate the partnership of the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, NYPD, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in this investigation.”
Acting Inspector in Charge Edwards said, “These individuals allegedly stole U.S. Mail in which they were entrusted to deliver to residents in their community. We will hold accountable those who exploit the U.S. Mail to further their crimes, especially USPS employees, for their serious breach of trust. Postal inspectors will continue to uphold the sanctity of the U.S. Mail and pursue those who violate it.”
The District Attorney identified the defendants as Nicole Bernard, 41, of East Flatbush, Brooklyn, and Kenisha Hazzard, 30, of Brownsville, Brooklyn. They were arraigned before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on separate indictments. Bernard, who was arraigned on October 6, is charged with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, one count of third-degree grand larceny, one count of fourth-degree grand larceny, and one count of petit larceny. Hazzard, who was arraigned today, is charged with seven counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, six counts of petit larceny and one count of attempted petit larceny. They were released without bail. Bernard was ordered to return to court on December 2, 2026, and Hazzard was ordered to return to court on December 16, 2026.
The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, Bernard was employed as a City Carrier at the East New York Station located at 2645 Atlantic Avenue between January 2023 and February 2024. The indictment charges that between March 1, 2023, and January 4, 2024, the defendant allegedly stole one check made payable to an individual on her mail route and deposited it into her personal bank account. She allegedly stole two additional checks mailed from East New York, both of which were intended for another person. A fourth check intended for an individual on her route was also allegedly stolen by the defendant and deposited into another account with a Connecticut address. The checks totaled $12,465.80.
Furthermore, the District Attorney said, Hazzard was also employed as a City Carrier Assistant at the East New York Station between October 2023 and December 2023. The indictment charges that between October 6, 2023, and October 31, 2023, the defendant allegedly stole seven checks made payable to individuals on her mail route and deposited them into her personal bank account. The checks totaled $2,487.75.
The thefts allegedly affected a total of 10 victims and resulted in losses totaling $14,953.55.
The investigations were conducted by New York City Police Department Detective Dillon Shimansky of the Financial Crimes Task Force and Special Agent Erin Nolan of the USPS Office of the Inspector General with assistance from Postal Inspector Anthony Ruffini of the United States Postal Inspection Service.
The District Attorney thanked KCDA Digital Forensic Analyst Yacelys Corona and Supervising Financial Investigator Susan Ryan for their assistance in the investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Tony Kim, of the District Attorney’s Investigations Division, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Adam Libove, Chief of the District Attorney’s Public Integrity Bureau, and the overall supervision of Assistant District Attorney Michel Spanakos, Deputy Chief of the Investigations Division, and Assistant District Attorney Patricia McNeill, Chief of the Investigations Division.
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An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.