Orlando Trucking Company Owner Admits to $1 Million USPS Freight Auction Fraud

A trucking and freight brokerage owner based in Orlando has pled guilty for running a scheme that defrauded the US Postal Service (USPS) Freight Auction program of more than $1 million, a federal prosecutor said. Talishco LLC, operated by Khayyam Arif Oglu Farajov, 40, of Orlando, Florida, was one of the companies in the program created to buy nationwide transportation capacity for bulk mail.

In May 2022, Farajov registered his company with the Freight Auction system. The program, which USPS debuted in October 2021, uses competitive spot market bidding to purchase trucking services. A 2024 federal audit found that 102 transportation providers were in the program in fiscal years 2022 and 2023.

Over the course of the fraudulent scheme, which took place from June 2022 to January 2023, Farajov obtained hundreds of transportation contracts.

He gave away hundreds of contracts, but the trucks never came.

Farajov did not ship trucks on a number of routes won by his company, prosecutors said. If pickups were missed, USPS employees would call to find out why the equipment wasn’t delivered on time. He said the drivers had been delayed and he was out of touch with them.

Postal officials diverted shipments to other carriers to ensure the mail got through.

Farajov then logged into the Freight Auction platform again and marked the shipments as delivered. Such fraudulent entries led to payments being made to Talishco LLC for transportation services that were never actually performed by the company. Prosecutors estimate the scheme generated more than $1 million in proceeds.

He then routed the money through accounts of shell companies he controlled and later consolidated the money into two personal investment brokerage accounts. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) said he then used the proceeds to make stock market investments for his own financial gain.

Federal investigators traced the money and froze the two brokerage accounts. The investigation was carried out by the Office of Inspector General of the USPS.

USPS delivery verification weaknesses highlighted by audit

The case comes amid broader concerns about how USPS is verifying deliveries under its Freight Auction program.

The postal service will only authorize payment upon the suppliers’ submission of proof of delivery. For the period reviewed, acceptable documentation included tracking scans, electronic messages and manual submissions through the agency’s Logistics Gateway system.

But in 2024, a federal audit found gaps in how those records were validated. Auditors identified 69,225 paid trips worth about $197.9 million that did not have reliable proof-of-delivery documentation.

USPS challenged that finding, saying it later identified records supporting about $195 million in payments. The agency said the other $2.9 million was the result of improper use of proof of delivery sources.

But auditors said USPS did not do enough to verify the documentation before it disbursed the money.

The review covered fiscal years 2022 and 2023, which coincided with when Farajov was perpetrating his scheme. At the same time, USPS also changed its delivery verification processes, eliminating manual confirmation codes and no longer accepting some electronic messages as independent proof of delivery.

The audit did not directly link these procedural changes or its wider findings to Farajov or Talishco LLC.

Federal indictment preceded guilty plea

A federal grand jury charged Farajov with five counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. The DOJ announced the indictment on March 16, 2026, detailing the company’s Freight Auction activity and the submission of false delivery information. Prosecutors also sought the forfeiture of the investment assets seized during the investigation.

Assistant US Attorney Richard Varadan prosecuted the case in the Middle District of Florida, while Assistant US Attorney Nicole Andrejko handled the forfeiture proceedings.

Farajov subsequently reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, bringing the case to this stage nearly seven months after the indictment was announced.

Financial penalties, possible prison time for guilty plea

Farajov, 36, pled guilty Friday to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Under the deal, he will have to surrender the seized brokerage accounts and pay an additional $993,979 in restitution.

Each conviction can result in sentences of up to 20 years in federal prison. The court has not set a date for sentencing.

Why it matters for freight logistics

The case is an example of the financial risk that could exist within digital freight procurement platforms without the support of verified transportation records for payment authorization.

Postal operators and other shippers can bid for capacity on an online freight auction. But they only work where there is a strong link between digital shipment records and the physical movement of goods.

The alleged scheme is an example of how false delivery confirmations can be used to bill for services that were never delivered. It also underscores the need for strict screening procedures, dependable tracking data and careful oversight in protecting public money and the integrity of freight transport systems.