AP Hall of Shame: Contractor Collected Over $1 Million for Deliveries That Never Happened
A trucking contractor admitted collecting more than $1 million from the U.S. Postal Service for transportation assignments his company never completed.
An Orlando trucking company owner has pleaded guilty to a fraud scheme that collected more than $1 million from the United States Postal Service (USPS) for transportation services that were never performed.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Khayyam Arif Oglu Farajov, 40, operated Talishco LLC, a trucking and freight brokerage company.
How the Scheme Worked
Between June 2022 and January 2023, Farajov obtained hundreds of contracts through the USPS Freight Auction program.
Instead of dispatching trucks, he repeatedly failed to perform the assigned routes. When USPS employees questioned the missing vehicles, he offered excuses involving delayed drivers or lost communication.
The Postal Service reassigned the work to other carriers. Farajov then entered false delivery confirmations into the system, triggering payments for transportation services never provided.
Prosecutors said the proceeds were transferred through shell-company bank accounts and ultimately deposited into personal investment accounts.
Guilty Plea and Restitution
On October 9, 2026, the Justice Department announced that Farajov had pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering.
He agreed to forfeit seized brokerage accounts and pay an additional $993,979 in restitution. A sentencing date had not been set at the time of the announcement.
The APPG Takeaway
A digital delivery confirmation is not necessarily proof of delivery. AP departments should require independent verification that goods or services were actually received before approving payment. Matching invoices to verified receiving records, investigating exceptions, and restricting who can confirm completion are essential controls against fraudulent payments.
Sources and Further Reading
Editorial Note: This article was developed with the assistance of artificial intelligence and has been reviewed, approved, and edited by Robert Ruhno, Executive Director of the Accounts Payable Professionals Group (APPG).
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