How U.S. Postal Worker Stole $1.6 Million in Tax Return Checks to Fund Trips to Strip Clubs, Luxury Travel to Bali Resort

A former United States Postal Service employee is facing a lengthy prison sentence after a jury convicted him of stealing over $1.6 million in checks intended for individuals on his mail route.

Hachikosela Muchimba, 44, of Washington, D.C., fraudulently obtained and deposited close to 100 checks over a span of just under three years, according to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE. Most of the checks were tax returns issued by the Treasury Department.

“Muchimba used the proceeds of the stolen checks to fund a lavish lifestyle that included international travel, stays at luxury hotels, and purchases at gentlemen’s clubs,” prosecutors with the Justice Department said in a statement.

One of those trips was to the Bulgari Resort Bali in July 2022, according to a copy of the indictment obtained by PEOPLE. Authorities learned about that trip thanks to a $14,532.94 debit card purchase Muchimba made during his tropical getaway.

The Bulgari Bali Resort boosts 59 private oceanside villas, each with their own pool and bespoke butler service. The resort’s website shows the cheapest villa would cost $1,313,63 per night in July, not including taxes and fees.

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Authorities began investigating Muchimba in January 2023 after an individual called to report that their treasury check for over $14,000 had somehow been obtained and then deposited into someone else’s bank account, according to the criminal complaint filed by prosecutors in the case.

That individual then “recognized the name and the address on the U.S. Treasury check as the same name and address that [their] mail carrier had used on a holiday card,” states the complaint.

When investigators went to the bank to learn more, they were “provided copies of four additional U.S. Treasury checks that were fraudulently negotiated” into the same account.

Those five checks totaled over $57,000, according to prosecutors, but proved to be just the tip of the iceberg.

The complaint states that over the course of the next few months, investigators discovered approximately 98 misappropriated checks that had been deposited into accounts controlled by Muchimba.

Those checks were each deposited into one of Muchimba’s seven bank accounts and had an aggregate value of $1,697,909.52, according to the complaint. That includes one check for $415,173.53 that authorities learned of while searching Muchimba’s residence, where they discovered a receipt for the deposit.

Muchimba even deposited checks and withdrew stolen funds while still wearing his U.S.P.S. uniform, prosecutors note in the complaint, citing surveillance footage.

He managed to deposit checks by altering or falsely endorsing them, “removing the proper payee on the checks and replacing it with his own name,” according to the complaint.

Prosecutors ultimately charged Muchimba with 20 counts including 10 counts of theft of mail and seven counts of bank fraud.

On March 14, a jury found Muchimba guilty on all 20 counts and his sentencing is set for August.

Muchimba faces up to 30 years in prison for each count of bank fraud and up to five years in prison for each count of mail fraud.

A lawyer representing Muchimba declined to comment when reached by PEOPLE.