HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Three Houston postal carriers are among five people federally charged in an alleged check-theft scheme that investigators said generated more than $23 million over nearly six years.

According to the indictment, postal carriers were recruited to steal checks from the mail and then sell them to buyers through an encrypted communications group on Telegram.

Investigators said the scheme was allegedly orchestrated by Tryston Vaughn, who recruited postal carriers to remove checks from the mail stream.