[ad_1]
What the residents did not know then was that a US postal worker was looking for mail. For more than nine months, a postman named Ebony Smith later retrieved greeting cards and stole items in cash (gift cards, cash or checks).
As complaints escalated, USPS officials identified that mail was missing on Smith's journey. Nearly six months after the residents of Wauwatosa complained for the first time, investigators drew up a plan to see if they could catch Smith in the act, as stated in the court documents filed the week last in the US District Court of Wisconsin Eastern District.
On January 25, a blue envelope containing a greeting card and a $ 20 bill – addressed to a Jill "Moody" girl in a Wauwatosa residence – was placed in Smith's delivery lane. Unbeknownst to the factor, inside the envelope was also a transmitter that indicated the opening.
Surveillance cameras that day first grabbed Smith "rummaging through trays assigned to other delivery routes" and taking greeting cards from these trays in his own documents. She then picked up all the mail for her itinerary that day and continued on her way.
When she arrived at the address of the blue envelope, the transmitter inside was turned off, indicating that it had been opened. The postal agents who were following Smith on his route quickly apprehended him and realized that the $ 20 bill was no longer with the lure card. Smith soon produced a $ 20 bill from his wallet, the serial number of which corresponded to the one in the blue envelope.
Court documents indicate that investigators who searched Smith's car found over 50 undelivered greeting cards, a Starbucks gift card, a roll of tape, and letter openers.
Smith, who started working as a USPS mail carrier in 2015, was taken to a branch manager's office. There, she gave up her rights and confessed that she had started stealing greeting cards – once or twice a week – after being assigned to the Wauwatosa Historic District in the Washington Highlands in March 2017. I said.
A few months later, investigators recovered a large amount of undelivered mail from a Honda Odyssey associated with Smith. In total, they found 6,625 greeting card envelopes of first class and 540 personal checks, presumably stolen from USPS clients. The postmarks of undelivered cards ranged from March 3, 2017 to January 13, 2018, court documents said.
Smith, now 20, pleaded guilty last week to a theft of mail, as reported for the first time the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The crime is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $ 250,000, as well as a restitution agreement. His conviction will take place at an undetermined date.
A lawyer from Smith could be reached for comment. In the minutes, Smith said he stole the money to care for his four children.
Jeff Arney, a spokesman for the USPS 'Office of the Inspector General, said the postal service would attempt to deliver all the outstanding mail, or at least inform the courier that his mail might have been kept.
Arney declined to talk about the number or type of complaints that would trigger such an investigation, but advised anyone who believes to be a victim of a theft of mail to contact 1-888-USPS-OIG (1-888-877). -7644) or file a complaint at www.uspsoig.gov.
"The vast majority of US postal workers are dedicated and dedicated public servants who are committed to moving mail to their own destination and would never consider engaging in any criminal behavior," he said. Arney in an email. "This type of alleged behavior within the postal service is not tolerated."
This article was written by Amy B Wang, Washington Post reporter.
Source link
