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NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Anthony Smalls, age 32, of New York, New York, pleaded guilty on July 22, 2021 to conspiracy to pass altered U.S. Postal money orders, passing altered U.S. Postal money orders and possessing stolen U.S. government property today before United States District Court Judge Carl J. Barbier of the Eastern District of Louisiana.

According to court records, Smalls and a co-defendant who has not yet pled, travelled from New York to Louisiana in October of 2019 to cash stolen U.S. Postal money orders that had been altered to show amounts worth hundreds of dollars. Smalls and the co-defendant cashed two such postal money orders in Kenner and Metairie, LA. When arrested, the defendants also possessed 58 U.S. Postal money orders that they had stolen from an Ascension Parish U.S. Post Office the day before.

Smalls faces a sentence of up to ten years in prison on the possession of stolen U.S. government property charge and up to five years in prison for each of the Postal money order charges.  Smalls also faces for each of the three charges up to $250,000 in fines, a mandatory $100 special assessment fee and up to three years of supervised release.  Sentencing is set for October 28, 2021.

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Postal Inspection Service, along with assistance from the Louisiana State Police – Criminal Investigations Department, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, in investigating this matter.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera is in charge of the prosecution.