Four individuals involved in a bribery scheme targeting the United States Postal Service have been sentenced to a combined 99 months in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.
Federal prosecutors said the scheme centered on two USPS employees—Zechariah Yi, 52, and Tai Ryoung Rho, 51—who solicited and received approximately $1.5 million in kickbacks. In exchange, they helped trucking companies secure USPS service contracts valued at roughly $15 million.
Wan Jin Yoon, 51, of Plano, Texas, and Hong Jin Yoon, 48, of Denver, Colorado, owned the trucking companies involved in the scheme. Rho and both Yoons pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, while Yi pleaded guilty to receiving a bribe as a public official.
U.S. District Judge Karen Gren Scholer handed down sentences on March 26 and 27, 2026. Yi received 42 months in prison, Rho was sentenced to 30 months, Wan Yoon to 24 months, and Hong Yoon to three months.
In addition to prison time, the defendants agreed to forfeit more than $300,000 in cash and two vehicles tied to the scheme.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould said the defendants undermined the integrity of the government contracting process for personal gain. Officials from the USPS Office of Inspector General emphasized the importance of maintaining public trust in postal employees, while the Federal Bureau of Investigation reaffirmed its commitment to prosecuting fraud against the government.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Dallas Field Office and the USPS Office of Inspector General, with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marty Basu.
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