NEWARK, N.J. – A Union County, New Jersey, man today admitted his role in a scheme to bribe mail carriers to steal credit cards from the mail, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Officials say Olagoke Araromi, 22, of Union, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden in Newark federal court to a three-count information charging him with bribery of U.S. Postal Service mail carriers, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:
Araromi and Moussa Dagno, 24, of Harrison, New Jersey, recruited at least a half dozen U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mail carriers and employees to steal credit cards from the mail in exchange for cash bribes, typically $100 per stolen card.
Once Araromi had taken possession of the stolen credit cards and activated them, he and Dagno would use the cards to purchase high-end electronics and clothing at various retail stores throughout New Jersey.
In February, 2018 law enforcement seized six laptops and a smartphone from the Harrison residence shared by Araromi and Dagno at that time, all of which had been purchased with the stolen credit cards.