Former Tallahassee Postal Employee & Accomplice Plead Guilty to Federal Crimes

Tallahassee, Florida -Taija Avion Smith, 25, and Jaheed Anthony Williams, 24, both of Tallahassee, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to commit mail theft, theft of a mail key, bank fraud conspiracy, and multiple counts of aggravated identity theft. Williams also pleaded guilty to 14 counts of bank fraud. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: "Postal service employees occupy positions of public trust through which they are expected to responsibly process and deliver our nation's mail. This defendant repeatedly violated that public trust while seeking to enrich herself and her co-defendant at the expense of others, but thanks to this multi-agency investigation and successful prosecution their scheme has been dismantled and federal prison awaits both defendants."

Court documents reflect that between March 11, 2021, and May 21, 2024, Smith was employed by the United States Postal Service, in Tallahassee, Florida. Due to her employment, Smith had access to a postal key, which she stole and gave to her co-defendant, Williams. Together, Smith and Williams conspired to steal U.S. Mail, which included stealing mailed checks that they fraudulently deposited in financial institutions and thereafter split the proceeds of their scheme. Court records also show that Smith fraudulently received and used online bank login credentials of other individuals as part of the conspiracy.

Smith and Williams face the following penalties: up to 5 years' imprisonment on the conspiracy to commit mail theft count; up to 10 years' imprisonment on the unlawful possession or theft of a mail key; up to 30 years' imprisonment on the bank fraud conspiracy count; and a mandatory consecutive term of 2 years' imprisonment for each of the aggravated identity theft counts. Williams also faces up to 5 years' imprisonment on the theft of mail count and up to 30 years' imprisonment for each bank fraud count.

This case was jointly investigated by the Tallahassee Police Department, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the United States Postal Service - Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen.

Smith's sentencing is scheduled for July 14, 2026, at 2:00 pm at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor.

Williams's sentencing is scheduled for August 10, 2026, at 3:30 pm at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation's principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of FloridaLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. website. For more information about the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.