KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Lee’s Summit, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for fraudulently claiming reimbursements for travel expenses for her work for the U.S. Postal Service.
Monique S. Koger-Little, 48, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to one year and three months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Koger-Little to pay $29,892 in restitution to the U.S. Postal Service.
On Nov. 15, 2021, Koger-Little pleaded guilty to one count of stealing government money. Koger-Little was employed by the U.S. Postal Service from 2010 through 2019. As an engagement ambassador, she frequently traveled throughout the United States. According to court documents, her scheme began almost immediately upon her promotion to this position.
Koger-Little admitted that she received reimbursements for fraudulent travel expenses by submitting false reimbursement requests. For example, she received reimbursements after falsely claiming higher hotel rates than she was actually charged, for corporate housing that she did not use, and for mileage for driving her personal vehicle, although that travel never actually occurred and she was on vacation at the time.
According to court documents, approximately 36 fraudulent travel vouchers were submitted over almost 12 months. Koger-Little’s conduct included having family members’ travel expenses and personal rent expenses paid through Postal Service travel vouchers. She submitted fraudulent travel vouchers and received reimbursement for airline tickets issued to her husband, mother, and children, and for her daughter’s boyfriend. Koger-Little paid for her and her relatives’ airline tickets for a trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in July 2019 through the submission of fraudulent travel vouchers. Koger-Little included personal rent expenses in her fraudulent travel vouchers. The investigation repeatedly found travel vouchers submitted that included hotel costs with no corresponding charge to that hotel on her government travel card billing statement. However, there were matching charges associated with the apartment complex where her son lived.
Koger-Little resigned from the Postal Service on Nov. 1, 2019, when she became aware of the federal investigation. After repeatedly being asked to return her government-issued cell phone and laptop computer, they were mailed to her manager several weeks later. The cell phone had been wiped clean of its contents and the hard drive of the laptop had been removed.
This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley Cooper. It was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General.