A California woman who ran a shipping company was arrested for allegedly sending over 9 million packages using bogus mail, costing the US Postal Service $60 million in revenue.
The six-month plan for 50-year-old Lijuan “Angela” Chen of Walnut fell apart last month after a USPS investigator discovered she was using shipping labels that displayed fake meter numbers that began with “07”, in response to the court letter.
“I do know meter numbers starting with ’07’ have been decommissioned in 2020,” Inspector Mark White said in court papers.
The US Postal Inspection Service also received a notice that “several million zero-value postage labels” were purchased, that are blank postage labels that contain valid tracking IDs and don’t include postage.
But after printing the shipping information, it turned out that the package was paid for in 2023, although the counter number indicated that the label was created three years earlier.
As well as, investigators saw the identical truck that was turned back from a distribution center for attempting to mail forged mail parked outside Chen’s home the subsequent day, in response to court records.
![Lijuan](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000012107243.jpg?w=1024)
Chen’s Inland Empire division within the industry provided shipping and postal services for corporations, including e-commerce providers operating outside of China.
Reportedly, from November 1 to April 30, she sent over 9 million pieces of mail.
Chen left the USA to be in China from December to May and allegedly operated a fake mail program from overseas China, in response to court documents.
![According to court documents, Chen's labels bore false meter numbers that began with](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000012107246.jpg?w=1024)
She was arrested on May 25 and is anticipated to be charged.
“This arrest shows that our coordinated efforts to eliminate fraudulent mail from the USA Postal Service are paying off.
Fraudulent mailings are deceiving the US Postal Service, consumers and the US public,” USPIS said in an emailed statement to The Post.
Chen faces one count of conspiracy to defraud the USA and one count of using or possessing a counterfeit mail item.
Each charge is punishable by as much as five years in prison.
![Chen mailed packages from a building at 16285 Gale Avenue in Industry, California.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000012107248.jpg?w=1024)
Chen’s husband, Chuanhua Hu, previously ran the corporate, in response to a May 22 grievance filed in the USA District Court for the Central District of California.
Hu, who also goes by the name “Hugh”, was also investigated by the USPIS for mail forgery.
He left California for China just two days after the 2019 investigation and has yet to return to the States. – we read within the press release of the US prosecutor.