January 13, 2025 – San Diego, CA – Former U.S. Postal Service employee Dewayne Morris Sr. and his son and namesake were sentenced on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, to seven years and 12.5 years in prison, respectively, for stealing $5.1 million in postal money order forms and distributing them to co-conspirators.

After a trial in January 2024, a federal jury convicted both defendants of conspiracy and bank fraud charges, finding that Morris Sr. stole the postal money order forms from a post office he supervised, and that Dewayne Morris Jr. distributed those money orders to co-defendants. Eight other defendants were previously sentenced in the Southern District of California for converting the stolen money orders to cash by depositing them at banks throughout the United States.

Several co-conspirators testified at trial that Morris Jr. repeatedly provided them with money orders and counterfeit driver’s licenses, which they used to open bank accounts to deposit the money orders and quickly withdraw the cash. They also testified that Morris Jr. joined them for out-of-state trips to convert the money orders to cash—testimony corroborated by airline records—and that he collected most of the cash proceeds.

Trial evidence included bank records showing Morris Jr. deposited more than $2 million in cash into his bank accounts over the course of the conspiracy. He also paid for his and Morris Sr.’s luxury cars, including a new Mercedes-Benz AMG GT, and extravagant vacations. For example, Morris Jr. paid for their three trips—in a span of just 10 weeks—to Costa Rica, Grand Cayman, and Los Cabos, Mexico, including stays at a Four Seasons Resort and a Ritz-Carlton.

The jury also convicted Morris Jr. of witness tampering while he was on pretrial release. The trial evidence included threatening text messages Morris Jr. sent to the witness and videos that Morris Jr. recorded attempting to get the witness to deny that Morris Jr. ever provided him postal money orders.

"These defendants ran a scheme that tricked banks into cashing millions in stolen postal orders to fund their extravagant greed," said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. "Today’s sentence underscores our commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the U.S. Postal Service while also holding accountable those who defraud financial institutions."

"This father and son engaged in financial fraud for their personal gain, taking advantage of financial institutions and profiting significantly in the process," said Matt Shields, United States Postal Inspection Service, Acting Inspector in Charge of the Los Angeles Division. "Today’s sentencing demonstrates that greed and illegal activity will not be tolerated."

U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Western Pacific Area Field Office, Acting Executive Special Agent-in-Charge Christopher Paige said "Postal money order fraud schemes negatively impact the American economy and Postal Service operations. Today’s sentencing highlights the commitment of the U.S. Postal Service-Office of Inspector General and our law enforcement partner agencies in protecting the Postal Service from financial loss."

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Olah.

DEFENDANTS                            Case Number 22-CR-1037-WQH                         

Dewayne Morris Sr.                     Age: 65           Inglewood, CA

Dewayne Morris Jr.                      Age: 41           Inglewood, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy—Title 18, U.S.C., Section 371

Maximum penalty:  Five years in prison and $250,000 fine or twice the gross pecuniary gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greater

Bank Fraud—Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1344(2)

Maximum penalty:  Thirty years in prison and $1 million fine

Witness Tampering—Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1512(b)(1)

Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

United States Postal Inspection Service

United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General

Source: DOJ Release