So the fraud was in the money _saved_ from stamps that were duplicates or counterfeits of stamps purchased as USPS-recognized legitimate from online vendors.
Rather than somehow directly bilking the USPS of $150 million, the shippers saved that money otherwise spent on shipping via stamps that were fakes.
...Just naking sure I understand the story.
Yes, instead of paying the USPS for delivering the packages, they counterfeited the “receipt” — the markings on the envelope.
Were the savings passed on to the consumers? I doubt it. It sounds like Chen and Hu were paid for the postage and kept that money.
There was an international treaty from the 1800s whereby nations deliver international mail for each other and this meant China could mail products from China (and presumably other nations) to the US for a very small amount. There shipping cost less than domestic US shipping.
This company may have been set up in response to Trump’s withdrawal from the treaty.
“Rather than somehow directly bilking the USPS of $150 million, the shippers saved that money otherwise spent on shipping via stamps that were fakes.”
saved? They cheated you.