Checks Sent To White House CU Allegedly Stolen

Two men working to decontaminate White House-bound mail from potential anthrax exposure were charged this week with stealing thousands of dollars of funds mailed to the Afghan children's relief fund and more than $35,000 in traveler's checks sent to the White House FCU. Vernon Coleman, 32, of Philadelphia, and Dane Coleman, 28, of Upper Darby, Pa., who are not related, were charged with mail fraud in connection with the theft. The two, who were working for a private contractor at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington where the Secret Service screens White House mail, were fired last month after authorities learned that several thousand dollars in stolen travelers checks had been deposited in Philadelphia banks.

Co-workers said the two opened and removed cash from mail addressed to America's Fund for Afghan Children.