Daily printout: Jan. 7

A former mail processing clerk at the Columbia, SC, Processing and Distribution Center recently was sentenced to 2½ years in prison after pleading guilty to stealing checks from the mailstream and selling them online.

The USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) launched an investigation after receiving several complaints on its hotline from people whose checks were fraudulently cashed.

OIG and the Postal Inspection Service agents zeroed in on the clerk, Vincent Anthony Gailliard Jr., 41, who had 20 checks in his backpack on the night of his arrest.

Gailliard told the agents he resorted to theft when he began experiencing financial hardship.

For about a year, he would pocket selected envelopes, photograph the checks and post them for sale on a social media app.  

The Postal Service terminated his employment.

The OIG recently highlighted the case on its website.

“While the idea of easy cash by way of mail theft might be tempting to some postal employees, know the OIG will be watching,” said USPS Inspector General Tammy Hull. “We will aggressively investigate any USPS personnel who violate the public’s trust for personal gain.”

In addition to prison time, Gailliard received five years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution. The estimated losses from the fraud came to roughly $3.5 million.

If you suspect or know of mail theft involving Postal Service employees or contractors, report it to the OIG.

Postal Service employees with flexible spending account debit cards might be asked to provide documentation after using the card for out-of-pocket expenses.

Inspira Financial, the Postal Service’s flexible spending account administrator, must ensure that such purchases are eligible under Internal Revenue Service rules. If a request from Inspira is not met, the company might deactivate the debit card.  

Inspira will ask for documentation if an amount doesn’t match the established co-pay under an employee’s health care plan, for example, or if a claim cannot be resolved using internal systems or technologies.

Employees who have flexible spending account debit cards are encouraged to save explanation of benefit forms from their health insurer as a backup. Also known as an EOB, these forms show the “final” amount owed, as opposed to the “estimated” or “pending” amount, and can be used as documentation.

Detailed receipts that include the patient’s and provider’s name, date and type of service and the final amount owed may also be used.

If no insurance was used for an expense, submit the itemized receipt with your signature and the words “not submitted to insurance” written on it. Make sure the receipt does not mention insurance or Inspira will request something to show insurance processed against it.

More information can be found on the FSA page on the MyHR website.