On August 9, 2023, in the Northern District of Alabama, Richard Pippens was sentenced to seven months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $17,722.86 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The sentence was issued after he pled guilty to one count of conspiracy for his role in the theft of U.S. Treasury Checks.

According to the court documents, beginning on or about May 11, 2021, Pippens used his position as a U.S. Postal Service employee to steal U.S. Treasury checks from the mail. The stolen checks included COVID-19 Relief Economic Impact Payment checks issued by the United States to intended recipients living in the Northern District of Alabama. After stealing the U.S. Treasury checks, Pippens would give them to a co-defendant, who would deposit them into bank accounts under her control. After depositing the stolen U.S. Treasury Checks, the co-defendant would then withdraw a portion of the funds and share the proceeds with Pippens, which totaled $17,722.86 in stolen U.S. Treasury Checks.

Source:  The facts in this case narrative come from the following publicly available documents: N.D. Ala., Indict, filed Oct. 26, 2022; N.D. Ala., Judgment, filed Aug. 9, 2023.