Cory Scott and Alexander Telewoda
Introduction
Cory Scott, 26, of Ardmore, Pennsylvania, and Alexander Telewoda, 26, of Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania, were sentenced to federal prison for their roles as the resale arm of a scheme to steal and sell thousands of U.S. Treasury checks — Scott to 70 months on 14 October 2026 and Telewoda to 78 months in August, both by U.S. District Judge Joshua D. Wolson, each with three years of supervised release, joint restitution of $10,841,731.83, and individual forfeiture orders. They pleaded guilty earlier in 2026 alongside the two Postal Service clerks who stole the checks, Saahir Irby and Tauheed Tucker, covered in their own entry on this site.
Background Information
The checks reached Scott and Telewoda between June 2023 and September 2024, stolen by Irby and Tucker from mail sorting machines at the USPS Philadelphia Processing and Distribution Center. All four defendants were charged by superseding indictment in May 2025 and pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiracy to steal government funds, theft of government funds, and mail theft.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Convicted and sentenced. Scott and Telewoda pleaded guilty earlier in 2026; Scott was sentenced 14 October 2026 and Telewoda in August 2026, both on guilty pleas.
Upon receiving payment from interested buyers, Scott and Telewoda mailed the stolen Treasury checks to buyers around the country who attempted to cash them — customers who successfully negotiated approximately $11 million worth of the stolen checks at financial institutions, out of a stolen face value exceeding $84 million. Scott’s sentence came with forfeiture of $298,973, and Telewoda’s with forfeiture of $162,144.50, amounts the court tied to their proceeds from the resale operation.
Public Reaction and Consequences
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service OIG, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, and the Social Security Administration OIG, with support from the Montgomery County Detective Bureau, Lower Merion Township Police, and the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Rice. The Telegram-based resale network the two ran is what moved the theft out of the mail plant and into bank branches nationwide.
Current Status
Telewoda’s 78-month term is the longest of the four defendants, followed by Scott’s 70 months, with the clerks’ terms at 63 and 42 months. Both resellers owe their share of the $10.8 million restitution order and remain subject to three years of supervised release after prison, with the plea convictions final.
Impact on Their Career/Life
The resale operation turned a stolen-check supply line into a six-figure proceeds stream for both men — proceeds now clawed back through forfeiture and overshadowed by restitution owed on the full negotiated loss. Their convictions for conspiracy, theft of government funds, and mail theft carry supervised release terms that will follow the prison sentences, and the Telegram advertising record documents the operation in the sentencing record permanently.
Sources
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, “Four Defendants Sentenced to Years in Prison for Conspiring to Steal and Sell U.S. Treasury Checks Worth Millions” — source