Kentucky Letter Carriers Branch President Charged With Embezzlement
Max Edwin Messamore, who was indicted by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in London in late January for allegedly stealing more than $2,000 from a U.S. Postal Service labor organization (Somerset, KY), is slated to stand trial in the case on April 25, according to electronic court records accessed by the Commonwealth Journal.
Messamore pleaded not guilty to the embezzlement charge during his arraignment on March 1, according to the electronic records.
According to the indictment, between “… Feb. 28, 2006 to Dec. 24, 2007, Messamore, while serving as president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, Branch 2039, … a labor organization engaged in an industry affecting commerce, did embezzle, steal, and unlawfully and willfully abstract and convert to his own use the moneys and funds of said labor organization in the approximate amount of $2,293.77.”
That’s in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c), which prohibits the embezzlement and theft of property from a labor organization covered by the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA).
If he’s found guilty of the embezzlement charge, Messamore faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, according to the indictment, which was handed down on Thursday, Jan. 27.
full story from Commonwealth Journal
Ohio Postal Clerk Charged With Theft of 2,050 Pieces of Mail
Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, today announced that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Thomas D. Oliver, age 48, of Louisville, Ohio, with theft of mail by a postal employee and unauthorized opening of mail by a postal employee.
The Indictment alleges that from as early as May 2008 until January 8, 2010, Thomas D. Oliver, a Mail Processing Clerk assigned to the Canton Processing and Distribution Center, Canton, Ohio, stole 2,050 first-class letters which had come into his possession to be conveyed by mail.
The indictment was presented to the grand jury by Assistant United States Attorney Gregory C. Sassé after investigation by agents of the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after a review of factors unique to the case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Pennsylvania Postal Clerk Charged With Taking $5.00 Cash, Lottery Tickets
Acting United States Attorney Robert S. Cessar announced today, April 13, 2010, that Jason E. Svencer of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Johnstown on a charge of theft of mail by a postal employee.
The one-count indictment named Svencer, age 37, as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment presented to the court, on February 4, 2010, Svencer, a United States Postal Service mail processing clerk, took two pieces of first-class mail (greeting cards) addressed to two different individuals containing $5.00 in currency and four Pennsylvania lottery scratch-off tickets.
Assistant United States Attorney John J. Valkovci, Jr., who presented the case to the grand jury, indicated that the law provides for a maximum total sentence of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
The United States Postal Service/Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
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.