FORMER U.S. POSTAL WORKER SENTENCED FOR MONEY ORDER THEFT

TUCSON, Ariz. – On August 28, 2012, Anna Cecilia Miranda, 49, of Douglas, Ariz. was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ivan L. Lemelle to a term of 16 months imprisonment followed by a 36 month term of supervised release.  She was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $25,106.57.  Miranda pleaded guilty on May 14, 2012 to attempting to pass a forged and altered U.S. postal money order and theft of mail matter by a postal service employee.

Defendant Miranda was employed from March 2008 through October 2009 by the United States Postal Service at the Pirtleville Post Office.She served as the Relief Postmaster when the Postmaster was on an assignment.  From August 2009 through October 2009, Miranda sold U. S. postal money orders to customers by taking their money and generating a money order. Once customers placed the money orders into envelopes, Miranda accepted them for mailing.  Instead of processing the money orders and mailing the envelopes, she stole the money orders from the mail and converted them to her own use.  She did not process the payment for many money orders.  When postal customers began to receive notice from creditors regarding past due balances, mortgages and car payments, many came to the Pirtleville Post Office to inquire and complain.  Miranda listened to the complaints and told many of the customers she would look into it, but took no action.  An investigation revealed Miranda retrieved money orders from the mail, forged signatures of customers and obtained cash for the money orders. 

The investigation in this case was conducted by the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General. The prosecution is being handled by Sandra M. Hansen, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Tucson.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-11-03048_TUC-DCB (BPV) 
RELEASE NUMBER:   2012-193(Miranda)

# # #

For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/