Story by Ethan
On August 31st, the arrest of Jere Campbell, age 44, was announced by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. Jere Campbell was charged with fifteen counts of first-degree Forgery, two counts of first-degree Scheme to Defraud, eight counts of first-degree Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument, twenty-three counts of first-degree Falsifying Business Records, fifteen counts of first-degree Identity Theft, fifteen counts of second-degree Identity Theft, third-degree Criminal Possession of Stolen Property, two counts of third-degree Grand Larceny, three counts of fourth-degree Grand Larceny, and five counts of Petite Larceny. The arrest and charges against Jere Campbell were a result of an investigation handled by the Queens District Attorney’s Office, United States Postal Service, and the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General.
According to the Queens District Attorney’s Office, in December 2024 an investigation was initiated by the United States Postal Service and the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General after receiving numerous customer complaints about missing money orders. Later in January 2025 the Queens District Attorney’s Office joined in the investigation. Prior to and during the investigation Jere Campbell was employed as a clerk at the Whitestone Post Office. While working she would enter the building’s distribution room and open envelopes that arrived at the office. It’s alleged that this is when she would go through the contents of different envelopes and pocket money orders before either throwing out the envelopes or resealing them and sending them through to the designated recipients. From February 24th, 2025, to May 12th, 2026, it’s alleged that Jere Campbell cashed in a total of $21,400 from 10 different money orders by forging the recipients signatures.
One victim claimed to have purchased three money orders worth $1,000 each at a post office in the Bronx, New York, before mailing them to her landlord’s postal box in Whitestone, New York. However, while the orders were cashed in, they were never delivered to the landlord. Another victim claimed to have mailed $3,000 worth of money orders to Florida to pay for home owner association fees. While the envelope mailed by the victim did reach its destination, the envelope was missing the cash orders. A third victim alleged that he purchased multiple money orders totalling to $4,000 over the period of several months before mailing them out to his landlord’s postal box in Whitestone, New York. In March 2026 he purchased additional money orders worth $2,000 and mailed them out of the defendant’s window at the Whitestone Post Office. The victim’s landlord never received any of the money offers as they were allegedly all cashed out by Jere Campbell.
The Queens District Attorney’s Office stated that the charges against Jere Campbell are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
