Ex-Postal Worker Sentenced, Citizenship Revoked for $1.6M Mail Theft in DC

Hachikosela Muchimba, a former USPS letter carrier in Washington D.C., was sentenced to over five years in federal prison after being convicted of stealing more than $1.6 million by intercepting checks from mailboxes along his postal route. Muchimba, who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in May 2022, was found guilty of mail theft, bank fraud, and unlawful procurement of citizenship after falsely denying any criminal activity on his naturalization application despite engaging in the scheme from December 2020 to March 2023. A federal judge revoked Muchimba's U.S. citizenship and ordered him to pay nearly $600,000 in restitution, with additional forfeiture of over $1.2 million in illegal profits. Muchimba used the stolen funds for a lavish lifestyle including expensive clubs, luxury hotels, and international travel, and was arrested in September 2023 while trying to board a flight to Zambia. Prosecutors sought a nine-year sentence, but the judge imposed approximately five-and-a-half years and noted deportation was almost certain, though he is not currently under an ICE detainer. Muchimba's attorney described the scheme as an isolated episode in an otherwise law-abiding life, but the judge expressed disappointment over Muchimba's exploitation of the opportunities provided by the United States.