USPS bribery scheme: Four sentenced in federal court
USPS bribery scheme defendants, including a Korean American postal employee, have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a kickback operation tied to lucrative postal service contracts.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas announced on April 7 that four individuals received prison sentences for participating in a bribery scheme involving contracts with the United States Postal Service (USPS).
U.S. District Judge Karen Gren Scholer of the Northern District of Texas handed down the sentences during a hearing on March 27. Zechariah Yi, 52, of Aurora, Colorado, was sentenced to 42 months in prison. Tai Ryoung Rho, 51, also of Aurora, Colorado, received 30 months. Wan Jin Yoon, 51, of Plano, Texas, was sentenced to 24 months, while Hong Jin Yoon, 48, of Denver, Colorado, received a three-month sentence.
The defendants also agreed to forfeit two vehicles and more than $300,000 in cash as part of the case resolution.
Kickbacks tied to USPS contracts
According to court documents, a former Senior Network Analyst for the United States Postal Service, Zechariah Yi, and USPS employee Tai Ryoung Rho admitted they solicited and received approximately $1.5 million in kickbacks from the owners and associates of multiple trucking companies.
In exchange, the two agreed to help the companies obtain USPS transportation service contracts worth approximately $15 million.
Wan Jin Yoon and Hong Jin Yoon owned the trucking companies that secured the contracts through the scheme and were responsible for providing the bribe payments.
Guilty pleas and federal charges
Rho, Wan Jin Yoon, and Hong Jin Yoon each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. Yi pleaded guilty to receiving a bribe as a public official.
Federal prosecutors said the USPS bribery scheme undermined the integrity of the government contracting process.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould stated that the defendants “relied on bribery and corruption to enrich themselves while compromising the fairness of federal contracting.”
He added that prosecutors remain committed to holding individuals accountable for fraud and corruption that exploit public institutions.
The case highlights how the USPS bribery scheme allowed private contractors to improperly secure government contracts through illegal payments and insider access.
