Kaleb Matias Wiewandt, 36, of Los Angeles, Calif., was sentenced by United States District Judge Susan R. Bolton to 51-months in prison and ordered to pay $1.1 million in restitution. Wiewandt previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud for conspiring with others to steal several million postage stamps from the United States Postal Service.
Between May 2013 and April 2015, Wiewandt actively participated in a conspiracy to steal large numbers of postage stamps from various post offices in the United States. To execute the fraud, Wiewandt would set up a fictitious business by renting temporary office space, developing a business name and insignia, and creating a variety of business related documents such as business checks, invoices, and business cards. In nearly every case, the fictitious business invoice was transmitted to the post office to convey the false impression that a local business was seeking to purchase postage stamps in an amount that was between a few thousand dollars to approximately $21,000.
If the post office accepted the invoice, Wiewandt would send a third-party courier to the post office with a fictitious business check. Postal clerks who called the phone numbers on the fictitious business invoice or check would be assured of the legitimacy of the transaction by Wiewandt or some other co-conspirator.