Two trucking company owners and two USPS employees have been sentenced to federal prison terms for a bribery scheme involving a $1.5 million trucking contract.
Former USPS senior network analyst Zechariah Yi, 52, and USPS employee Tai Ryoung Rho, 51, both of Aurora, Colorado, solicited and accepted approximately $1.5 million in illegal kickbacks from transportation company owners Wan Jin Yoon, 51, of Plano, Texas, and Hong Jin Yoon, 48, of Denver.
“The defendants fraudulently secured a government contract through a scheme involving the payment of bribes to public officials, who abused their positions of trust at the U.S. Postal Service for personal gain,” said R. Joseph Rothrock, according to CBS News.
The four men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud against public services, and Yi pleaded guilty to accepting a bribe as a public official. All four were sentenced on March 26 and 27. Yi was sentenced to 42 months, Rho to 30 months, Wan Yoon to 24 months, and Hong Yoon to 3 months, all to be served in federal prison. The group must also forfeit two vehicles and $300,000 in cash.
“The public must be confident that U.S. Postal Service employees will perform their duties honestly,” said Kevin Cloninger, executive special agent in charge of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General. “When employees commit serious crimes, such as accepting bribes, they will be vigorously investigated and prosecuted by special agents of the USPS OIG.”
Federal prosecutor Ryan Raybould stated that the defendants “resorted to bribery and corruption simply to line their own pockets.”
