Postal Clerk Gets Prison For Embezzling $240,000
DES MOINES, Iowa — A postal clerk from Indianola has been sentenced to a year in prison after pleading guilty to embezzling more than $240,000.
The U.S. attorney says 47-year-old Kimberly Sue Nordhagen was sentenced Friday after admitting to converting Postal Service money orders and cash transactions to her own use.
Nordhagen, who worked at the West Suburban Station in Clive, admitted to stealing the money between January 2004 and March 2009.
In addition to her sentence, she was ordered to make full restitution to the Postal Service.
source: Associated Press
South Dakota Rural Letter Carrier Sentenced To Probation for Mail Theft
July 26, 2010
Sioux Falls, SD
US Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Yankton man charged with mail theft was sentenced on July 26, 2010, by US District Judge Lawrence L. Piersol. Brandon G. Novak, age 42, was sentenced to three years of probation and 40 hours of community service. Brandon G. Novak was indicted for five counts of theft of mail by postal employee by a federal grand jury on February 2, 2010. Novak was a full-time United States Postal Service employee, having been so employed since 1996. Novak was a rural mail carrier assigned to deliver mail on Rural Route 7 in Yankton, South Dakota. Between July 1, 2009, and October 15, 2009, Novak came into possession of correspondence and other mail items intended to be conveyed by the United States mail. Included within this correspondence and mail were items containing gift cards and coupons. On several occasions, Novak would take out store coupons and gift cards from mail and use them to buy personal items for himself. He pled guilty to one count of theft of mail on May 5, 2010. This case was investigated by the Office of the Inspector General – United States Postal Service. Assistant US Attorney Dennis H. Holmes prosecuted the case.
source: United States Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota
Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting, Robbing Letter Carrier
Filed under: letter carriers, postal, postal news, press releases, usdoj
Man assaulted and robbed letter carrier of $26 while delivering mail
The U.S. Department of Justice’s U.S. Attorney’s office for Eastern District of Louisiana issued the following press release:
July 16, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CHRISTOPHER ISAAC, age 20, of Marrero, Louisiana, pled guilty in federal court yesterday before U. S. District Judge Helen G. Berrigan to assault on a federal officer, announced U. S. Attorney Jim Letten.
According to court documents, ISAAC admitted that on February 12, 2010, he used a semi-automatic pistol to forcibly assault and rob a U. S. Postal Service letter carrier while the letter carrier was delivering mail at the Ridgefield Apartments in Marrero, Louisiana.
ISAAC faces a maximum term of imprisonment of twenty (20) years, a fine of $250,000 and three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. Sentencing is set for October 27, 2010.
The case was investigated by the U. S. Postal Inspection Service and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Loan “Mimi” Nguyen .
Former Indiana Postal Clerk Indicted For Theft of Nearly $14,000
INDIANAPOLIS – Tamara R. Barnett, 39, Indianapolis, was charged late yesterday with misappropriation of postal funds, following an investigation by the U.S. Postal Service – Office of the Inspector General.
The indictment alleges that Barnett stole postal funds by manipulating the retail sales system in a manner that resulted in cash overages that she subsequently converted to her own use.
It also alleged that Barnett stole portions of the cash intended for daily bank deposits. The total value of the theft alleged is nearly $14,000.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney A. Brant Cook, who is prosecuting the case for the government, Barnett faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. An initial
hearing will be scheduled before a U.S. Magistrate Judge.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a
reasonable doubt.
Indiana Postal Clerk Gets Probation For Misappropriation Of Funds
The following is a press release from the office of United States Attorney Timothy M. Morrison, Southern District of Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS – Casey D. Armstrong, 35, Lawrenceville, Ill., was sentenced to three years of probation today by U.S. District Judge William T. Lawrence following her guilty plea to misappropriation of Postal funds. This case was the result of a investigation by the United States Postal Service – Office of the Inspector General.
From January 2008 through December 2008, the Vincennes (Indiana) United States Post Office experienced over $2000 in retail losses. Beginning in November 2008, the United States Postal Service – Office of the Inspector General conducted an investigation to determine the source of the losses at the Vincennes Post Office. Video surveillance was set up of the postal clerks selling postage stamps. Casey D. Armstrong, the Defendant who was employed as a clerk, was observed mishandling customer transactions on 28 occasions, in which she underreported stamp sales into the cash register and then kept the resulting overage. Armstrong was interviewed and admitted to not ringing up all the stamp sales. She admitted keeping $2,000 or more of those proceeds for her own use. From the time Armstrong began working at the Vincennes post office in the fall of 2007, through the day she left, December 16, 2008, total losses were $3,796.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney A. Brant Cook, who prosecuted the case for the government, Judge Lawrence ordered that Armstrong is to make restitution in the amount of $3,796 to the United States Postal Service. In addition to the standard conditions of probation,Armstrong is required to perform 60 hours of community service.
Former Postal Employee Sentenced to Statutory Maximum Sentence of Five Years in Federal Prison for Role in Mail Theft Conspiracy
June 24
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas issued the following news release:
Defendant Worked as a Mail Handler at Dallas Main Post Office
DALLAS- A former employee of the U.S. Postal Service, James Olabode Laniyan, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Jorge A. Solis to 60 months in federal prison, the statutory maximum, for his role in a mail theft conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Judge Solis also ordered that Laniyan, pay $302,620 in restitution for disbursement to Discover Card Services and Capital Bank One Bank. Laniyan, 51, of Grand Prairie, Texas, was ordered to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on July 28, 2010.
Laniyan pleaded guilty in February 2010 to one count of conspiracy to possess stolen mail matter and commit fraud and related activity in connection with access devices. In January 2010, Laniyan’s co-conspirator, Sulaimon Olasode, 36, of Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty to the same offense and was sentenced last month by Judge Solis to 48 months in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution jointly and severally with Laniyan. Olasode is in federal custody; following his sentence, will be referred to U.S. Immigration authorities for deportation to Nigeria.
According to documents filed in the case, Laniyan was employed as a mail handler with the U.S. Postal Service at the Dallas Main Post Office. Sometime prior to October 2008, Olasode approached Laniyan about stealing mail from the post office. After considering the money he could make, Laniyan agreed to participate in the conspiracy, which they ran until August 5, 2009.
“The American public trusts the Postal Service to deliver its mail intact. When a postal employee betrays that trust and steals mail, then uses stolen financial information to wreak havoc in the lives of our citizens, Special Agents of the Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General investigate. Fortunately, these incidents are not common, and the overwhelming majority of the 600,000 postal employees are honest and hard working. With the prosecutive support of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we will aggressively pursue any employee committing a postal crime,” said Max Eamiguel, Executive Special Agent-in-Charge, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Postal Service, Southwest Area Field Office.
Laniyan stole credit cards and credit card customer information by removing letters and parcels from the mail stream and then sent the contents of the stolen mail to Olasode in Houston for him to activate and use the stolen credit cards in the Houston area. In February 2009, members of Discover Financial Services Organized Crime Unit identified more than 40 credit cards mailed to customers in the Dallas area that were never received and later compromised. The vast majority of the compromised cards were being fraudulently used in the Houston, Katy, Sugarland and Richmond, Texas, areas.
Approximately 150 victims had their Capital One or Discover credit cards stolen in the scheme.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service – Office of Inspector General and the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron L. Wiley was in charge of the prosecution.
Acting Postmaster Charged With Obstructing The Passage Of Mail
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Frank J. Strzelec, former Officer in Charge of the Center Rutland, Vermont Post Office, was arraigned today on the misdemeanor charge of knowingly and willfully obstructing and retarding the passage of mail of a Post Officer customer. Strzelec was released pending trial by United States Magistrate Judge John M. Conroy, on the condition that he have no contact with that postal customer.
The information charging Strzelec with obstructing mail is an accusation only; he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Strzelec faces a maximum possible penalty of 6 months in prison, and up to $5,000 in fines. The actual sentence, in the event of conviction, will be determined by the Court with reference to the advisory Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The investigation was led by the Office of the Inspector General for the United States Postal Service in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Assistant United States Attorney Christina Nolan is handling the prosecution. Strzelec is represented by Alison Arms of the Federal Public Defenders Office in Burlington, Vermont.
Postal Employee Loses Employment Discrimination Lawsuit Against USPS
May 13, 2010 Press Release
Dennis C. Pfannenschmidt, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, announced a verdict in favor of the United States Postal Service. According to U.S. Attorney Pfannenschmidt, George J. Erbe, age 63, of York, Pennsylvania, filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against the Postal Service, alleging that the Postal Service retaliated against him for filing a discrimination claim. Mr. Erbe sought over $300,000.00 in damages.
The Postal Service was able to establish that it did not return Mr. Erbe to work at the East York Post Office because he failed a fitness for duty examination and was unable to meet the requirements of the rural carrier associate position. United States District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner presided over the four-day trial.
This case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa A. Swauger
Rural Carrier Pleads Guilty to Mail Theft
US Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Brandon G.Novak, age 42, of Yankton, appeared before US Magistrate John E.Simko on May 5, 2010, and pled guilty to one count of an indictment that charged him with five counts of Theft of Mail by a Postal Service Employee. The maximum penalty upon conviction is five years imprisonment and/or a $250,000 fine.
Brandon G.Novak was a full-time United States Postal Service employee,having been so employed since 1996. Novak was a rural mail carrier assigned to deliver mail on Rural Route 7 in Yankton, South Dakota. Between July 1, 2009 and October 15, 2009, Novak came into possession of correspondence and other mail items intended to be conveyed by the United States mail. Included within this correspondence and mail were items containing gift cards and coupons. On several occasions, Novak would take out store coupons and gift cards from mail and use them to buy personal items for himself.
The investigation was conducted by the Office of the Inspector General – United States Postal Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Dennis R. Holmes. A presentence investigation was ordered, and a sentencing date has not yet been set. The defendant was released on bond pending sentencing.
USPS OIG Request Public Help In Catching Postal Employees Faking On the Job Injuries?
This is a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Northern District of Ohio. The story is about an Ohio Postal Clerk’s conviction but check out the last paragraph.
Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, today announced that on Friday, April 30, 2010, Tonia M. Anderson, 54, of Akron, Ohio, was convicted by a federal jury of four counts of mail fraud, eight counts of worker’s compensation fraud, and two counts of making false statements to federal officers. The jury returned a not guilty verdict as to one count of making false statements to federal officers. The guilty verdict was returned after a five day trial before U.S. District Judge Patricia A. Gaughan. The charge arose out of Anderson’s employment as a postal distribution clerk with the U.S. Postal Service and worker’s compensation payments Anderson received between August, 2005 and February, 2006.
The case was tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Teresa L. Dirksen and Phillip J. Tripi. The investigation preceding the indictment was jointly conducted by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.
Eastern Area Special Agent in Charge Elizabeth A. Farcht, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, stated: “The majority of U.S. Postal Service employees who collect federal workers’ compensation benefits have legitimate claims due to on the job injuries and are truly unable to perform any work. A small percentage, however, abuse the system and cost the Postal Service millions of dollars in fraudulent claims. This conviction should put those who choose to defraud the system on notice that our Special Agents with the USPS Office of Inspector General will aggressively investigate these cases, and present them to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for criminal prosecution when appropriate. You can also help by contacting the USPS Office of Inspector General at www.uspsoig.gov or 888-644-8398 if you know a postal employee who is faking an injury or defrauding the Postal Service.”
Sentencing for the defendant is scheduled for August 10, 2010, at 11:30 a.m.