Three Brothers Charged in Multi-District Scheme to Defraud the United States Postal Service, UPS, and Citizens Bank

PHILADELPHIA - Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that brothers Zumar Dubose, age 32, of Atlantic City, NJ; Abdush Dubose, age 34, of Boynton Beach, FL; and Kariem Dubose, age 40, of Philadelphia, PA; were charged by Superseding Indictment on charges of mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The charges arose out of a scheme to defraud the United States Postal Service, United Parcel Service, and Citizens Bank of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The Superseding Indictment alleges that between October 2018 and April 2020, the defendants submitted over 1,200 fraudulent insured-parcel claims with USPS and UPS, and received almost $300,000 in ill-gotten gains. As part of the scheme, the Dubose brothers sent parcels to themselves using insured USPS postage and UPS tracking labels. They then filed fraudulent claims with USPS and UPS, claiming that these parcels were lost or damaged in transit, and attached sham proofs of value. The defendants used numerous e-mails, addresses and postboxes, bank accounts and bank cards, fake individual names, and fictitious corporations, including "Urmajesty Banktruckfit Solutions," "Miworld Three Incorporated," and "4 Entertainment Corporation," which were incorporated in the State of New Jersey, and "Seeds of Beauty Incorporated," which was incorporated in the State of Florida. The claim checks that the brothers received as part of this fraud scheme were deposited into Citizens Bank accounts opened in the names of these fake companies through ATMs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere.

The brothers also used the court system to perpetrate their fraud by filing false lawsuits against the victims. When USPS and UPS refused to issue or deliver some of the fraudulently-obtained claim checks, and when Citizens Bank placed a hold on a bank account that was used to deposit the fraud proceeds, the Dubose brothers were undeterred. The brothers repeatedly contacted USPS and UPS using fake names; defendant Zumar Dubose even filed lawsuits against UPS in various counties in New Jersey, using fake plaintiff names and falsely claiming that UPS did not pay him funds that he was owed. The defendants also filed a lawsuit against Citizens Bank, again pretending to be a different individual, in an effort to obtain the funds from their fraud scheme.

"These three brothers were allegedly brazen in their efforts to defraud businesses and the United States government via the postal services," said Acting U.S. Attorney Williams. "According to the Superseding Indictment, it wasn't enough simply to perpetrate a direct fraud by lying about insured parcels - when the companies suspected something wasn't right, the defendants turned around and had the nerve to file lawsuits against the victim companies. We will vigorously investigate and prosecute this type of unabashed fraud."

"Many people might be surprised to learn that the Post Office and United Parcel Service often work together moving millions of parcels and mail. Today however, I have the unfortunate role of announcing that they were victimized together," said Damon Wood, Postal Inspector in Charge of the Philadelphia Division of the Postal Inspection Service. "The brothers Dubose devised an elaborate scheme to take advantage of the Post Office's and UPS's parcel insurance. Setting up fake email addresses, sending empty parcels, and filing bogus lawsuits, were among the tactics that demonstrate the lengths to which these brothers went to steel money from a private company and a government agency. A company and an agency, I might add, who have both worked tirelessly over the last 18 months to support our community and nation through the pandemic. Thanks to the detailed investigation of Inspectors from the Postal Inspection Service and by agents of Post Office Inspector General, this theft was stopped and the brothers behind it have been charged."

"The United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General is committed to protecting the sanctity of the United States Mail," said Kenneth Cleevely, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General. "I wish to commend our partners at the United States Postal Inspection Service and the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for their teamwork in bringing these subjects to justice".

If convicted, defendant Zumar Dubose faces a maximum possible sentence of 340 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and a $5 million fine. Defendant Abdush Dubose faces a maximum sentence of 310 years of in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $3.75 million fine. Defendant Kariem Dubose faces a maximum possible sentence of 130 years of in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $2.25 million fine.

The case was investigated by the United States Postal Service Office of the Inspector General and United States Postal Inspection Service, and is being prosecuted by Deputy United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen and Assistant United States Attorney J. Jeanette Kang.

An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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