HOUSTON – The man federal prosecutors say ran a multimillion-dollar mail theft operation in the Houston area is also out on bond for murder in Fort Bend County, according to records.
Tryston Tremaine Vaughn is one of five people a federal grand jury has now indicted on fraud charges. Prosecutors say he recruited at least three U.S. Postal Service carriers to steal more than $23 million in checks from their mail routes, then sold them through a Telegram channel called “SlipsandChips.” The alleged scheme began in 2022, and the stolen checks were shipped across the country, according to federal prosecutors.
Shooting over a necklace preceded the federal case
More than a year before the federal indictment, Stafford Police told KPRC 2 News Vaughn was involved in a fatal shooting at a motel parking lot off the Southwest Freeway in March of last year. Surveillance images, according to Stafford Police, show Vaughn opening fire on a moving car. Police say he went to that parking lot looking for the person he believed had stolen a $92,000 necklace.
The bullets did not hit the intended target. Instead, 22-year-old Kerry Thomas, who police described as more of a bystander, was shot and died. According to his online obituary, Thomas moved to the Houston area with his family after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans…