Joseph Traver, a 35-year-old resident of Mishawaka, Indiana, has been sentenced to 12 months in prison. The sentence was handed down by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty following Traver's guilty plea to charges of bank fraud and possession of stolen mail, as announced by United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Traver will also serve two years of supervised release after completing his prison term.
Court documents revealed that between September 2023 and January 2024, Traver stole mail from official collection boxes outside the United States Post Office in Osceola, Indiana. He intercepted checks mailed from at least three victims and disrupted postal delivery. Additionally, he altered one check from the stolen mail and deposited it fraudulently at a financial institution.
The investigation was conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service with support from the St. Joseph County Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Hannah T. Jones prosecuted the case.