Orlando broker pleads guilty to $1M USPS fraud, never sent trucks

How did a broker steal $1 million from USPS without moving a single load?

Khayyam Arif Oglu Farajov, 40, pleaded guilty Friday to wire fraud and money laundering after collecting more than $1 million from the U.S. Postal Service for transportation his company never performed. Farajov operated Talishco LLC in Orlando, Florida. Between June 2022 and January 2023, he won hundreds of contracts through the USPS Freight Auction program, routinely failed to send trucks, then falsely marked the shipments delivered to trigger payment.

Farajov enrolled Talishco in Freight Auction in May 2022. USPS launched the program in October 2021 to secure trucking capacity through competitive spot-market bidding for nationwide bulk-mail transportation. A 2024 federal audit identified 102 participating transportation suppliers during fiscal years 2022 and 2023.

The pattern: no-show trucks, excuses, then fake delivery confirmations

Farajov won the bids but routinely failed to send trucks for the routes he secured. USPS employees contacted him when equipment did not arrive for scheduled pickups. He offered excuses involving delayed drivers or claims that he had lost contact with them. Postal officials then reassigned the work to other carriers.

Farajov later returned to the Freight Auction platform and falsely marked those shipments delivered. Those entries triggered payments for transportation Talishco never performed. Prosecutors calculated the resulting proceeds at more than $1 million. He then moved the money through accounts connected with shell companies under his control and eventually consolidated the funds into two personal investment brokerage accounts. He invested the proceeds in the stock market for personal enrichment, according to DOJ.

USPS proof-of-delivery controls failed during the same period

USPS requires proof of delivery before paying Freight Auction suppliers. During the period under review, acceptable records included tracking scans, electronic messages, and manual submissions through its Logistics Gateway. However, a 2024 federal audit found weaknesses in how the agency validated those records. Auditors identified 69,225 paid trips totaling approximately $197.9 million without reliable proof-of-delivery support.

USPS disputed the audit's $197.9 million finding. The agency said it later found records supporting approximately $195 million in payments. USPS attributed the remaining $2.9 million to improper proof-of-delivery sources. Auditors maintained that USPS had not properly verified the records before issuing payments.

The review covered fiscal years 2022 and 2023, overlapping Farajov's scheme. USPS changed its delivery verification procedures during that period. The agency eliminated manual confirmation codes and stopped accepting certain electronic messages as independent proof. The report does not connect those changes directly to Farajov or Talishco.

Federal investigators seized the brokerage accounts

The USPS Office of Inspector General handled the investigation. Federal investigators traced the money and seized both investment accounts. A federal grand jury charged Farajov with five wire fraud counts and one money laundering count. DOJ announced the indictment on March 16, 2026. The filing detailed the Freight Auction activity and bogus delivery information. Prosecutors also sought forfeiture of the seized investment assets.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Varadan prosecuted the case in the Middle District of Florida. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Andrejko handled the forfeiture proceedings. Farajov later reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. That resolution came nearly seven months after DOJ announced the indictment.

Farajov pleaded guilty Friday to one wire fraud count and one money laundering count. He agreed to forfeit the seized brokerage accounts and pay another $993,979 in restitution. Each conviction carries a maximum federal prison sentence of 20 years. The court has not scheduled sentencing.

What carriers should verify before pulling any load

This case shows the financial exposure when payment controls fail to verify that movement actually happened. Digital freight platforms still depend on accurate information connecting online activity with physical transportation. Carriers working with any broker should verify the broker's MC number, check their bond status, and confirm they have a working phone number and physical address before signing a rate confirmation. When a broker asks you to mark a load delivered before you've actually moved it, or offers to handle proof-of-delivery paperwork on your behalf, walk away.