A former mail carrier in Pennsylvania who stole 300 Postal Service money orders and several hundred pieces of mail is now serving time in federal prison.
The ex-employee’s conviction was part of an investigation by the USPS Office of Inspector General, also known as the OIG, and six other law enforcement agencies — including the Postal Inspection Service.
The case began in 2023 when postal inspectors in central Pennsylvania discovered checks worth more than $100,000 had been cashed after being altered.
OIG special agents found that the carrier was targeting mail containing checks and other personally identifiable information, which he provided to a ringleader affiliated with a New York City drug gang.
This ringleader falsified IDs so his “runners” could fraudulently cash the checks. He also used online criminal marketplaces to sell some of the personally identifiable information gathered from the checks.
The carrier eventually feared for his life and wanted out, but he’d become ensnared in the drug trafficking web.
A multi-agency team of investigators identified eight suspects. Special agents from OIG’s Mid-Atlantic Field Office arrested the carrier and helped arrest the other coconspirators in Pennsylvania. Special agents from Northeastern Field Office helped arrest the ringleader in New York City.
Pennsylvania authorities re-arrested the carrier after he did not appear at his sentencing hearing. He was sentenced to 1 1/2 years in prison and ordered to return $123,000 to the Postal Service to cover the stolen money orders.
The other six Pennsylvania subjects were sentenced on state charges. The ringleader was sentenced to 9 1/2 years in prison and ordered to pay $7,600 in restitution to several financial institutions.
The OIG recently highlighted this case on its website.
If you suspect or know of mail theft involving USPS employees or contractors, report it to the OIG.
