Monday, January 12, 2026
This business was hoarding more than $10,000 worth of USPS pallets
A team of postal inspectors and P&DC employees recovered the equipment
Postal inspectors and employees at the Wilmington, DE, Processing and Distribution Center have recovered more than $10,000 worth of USPS pallets at one business in Delaware.
The Postal Service provides mail transport equipment — including pallets, boxes, trays and tubs — to businesses to facilitate shipping.
The businesses are expected to use the equipment only for shipping through USPS.
However, while visiting a Delaware business recently to investigate a counterfeit postage case, postal inspectors Troy Reyes and Daniel Darnley and contractor Teresa Ryan saw large quantities of plastic USPS pallets.
They checked with Chris Brandt, a logistics clerk who processes orders for mail transport equipment at the Wilmington P&DC. He didn’t see this company on his list of qualified shipping partners.
The inspectors found that the business was buying the USPS pallets from a third party.
Postal inspectors, along with Brandt and Rich Warrington, a logistics operations supervisor, found and retrieved additional unauthorized USPS shipping equipment throughout the area.
“Every piece of recovered equipment helps keep our network running smoothly,” Brandt said.
Theft or misuse of USPS mail transport equipment is a federal crime, and it cuts into the organization’s revenue. Plastic pallets alone cost $20 apiece.
During the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, the Inspection Service recovered $940,000 in mail transport equipment.
“Every year, stolen or lost mail transport equipment results in major financial losses for the Postal Service,” Reyes said. “The Postal Inspection Service plays a key role in locating and recovering stolen postal property.”
Email the USPS Mail Transport Equipment Service Center or call 866-330-3404 to report unauthorized use of mail transport equipment.
Heroes
She sensed a customer was getting scammed
This USPS retail associate’s quick thinking helped prevent mail fraud
Retail Associate Yanira “J” Crosser was serving customers at the Algona, IA, Post Office recently when a transaction caught her attention.
An older man purchased a $2,000 money order and was about to mail it to someone he didn’t personally know.
Crosser sensed the customer might be getting scammed, so she alerted Postmaster Casey McGill. The postmaster then contacted the Postal Inspection Service and the local police department for assistance.
The customer was advised not to mail the money order. A subsequent investigation determined that he was indeed a target of scammers.
Employees featured in “Heroes” receive letters of commendation through the Postmaster General Heroes’ Program. The nomination form is available on Blue.
Week in Review
Here’s what Link covered Jan. 4-10
USPS benefits updates and heroic employees made news
Last week, Link offered an update on some benefits changes that began with the new year.
Higher maximums took effect for flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts and commuter benefits, and employees may now contribute more to the Thrift Savings Plan, or TSP.
Beginning Jan. 28, the TSP will also allow participants to convert traditional funds to Roth funds within their accounts.
And we reminded USPS employees who use an Inspira debit card for flexible spending account purchases to keep documentation in case verification is needed later.
Link also passed along Postal Service reminders on the importance of impartiality in the workplace; the necessity of protecting the organization’s network from phishing scams; and the proper storage of deicing and anti-skid chemical products.
In other news, there was a cautionary tale from the USPS Office of Inspector General about a former mail processing clerk sentenced to prison for stealing checks from the mailstream; and the 2026 stamp program kicked off with Angel’s Trumpets, a 4-cent release in the Low Denomination Flowers series.
“On the Job” profiled Jon Kwon, a letter carrier in Syosset, NY; and “Off the Clock” spotlighted Stacy Shuda, a solutions architect in the chief information officer’s organization in Eagan, MN, who monitors bluebird nest boxes in her off hours.
The “People” column told the story of New Jersey letter carriers Travis Lapi and Alyssa Dickerson Lapi, newlyweds who met on the job; and “Heroes” highlighted Yanira “J” Crosser, a retail associate in Algona, IA, who stopped a scam in its tracks when she sensed an older customer was being taken advantage of.
Crosser alerted Postmaster Casey McGill, who contacted the Postal Inspection Service and the local police department.
The customer took the advice not to mail his money order and an investigation later found that he had nearly fallen victim to a scam.
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