FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or
MARCIA MURPHY at 410-209-4885
October 20, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FORMER POSTAL EMPLOYEE PLEADS GUILTY TO THEFT OF MAIL
Rifled Over 1600 Greeting Cards, Stealing Cash, Checks and Gift Cards
Baltimore, Maryland - Former Postal Service employee Andrew C. Walsh, age 51, of Cockeysville, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to theft of mail.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein and Special Agent in Charge Joanne Yarbrough, Office of Investigations, U.S. Postal Service - Office of Inspector General.
According to Walsh’s plea agreement, from May, 2008 through April 21, 2010, Walsh worked as a maintenance mechanic for the United States Postal Service at the Baltimore Processing and Distribution Center. Walsh had no mail processing responsibilities, although his position gave him access to all areas of the work floor where mail was processed. From August, 2009, through April 21, 2010, Walsh admitted that he rifled though mail as it passed on a conveyor belt through isolated areas of the work floor of the Baltimore Processing and Distribution Center. Specifically, Walsh ripped open greeting cards and other items of mail in colored envelopes, and took any contents of value, discarding the greeting card and envelope, often separately. Walsh pilfered an average of approximately 100 items of mail each night, taking approximately 10 gift cards and $75 in cash each shift.
Walsh was arrested on April 20, 2010 and search warrants were executed on Walsh’s home and car the next day. Over 450 stolen gift cards were recovered, as well as several items purchased with gift cards.
During the course of his criminal activity, Walsh stole approximately 1,600 gift cards with an estimated value of between $30,000.00 and $70,000, as well as approximately $12,000 in cash. Between August, 2009 and April 21, 2010, Walsh compromised approximately 16,000 pieces of mail.
Walsh faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for theft of mail by a postal employee. U.S. District Judge William M. Nickerson has scheduled sentencing for February 2, 2011 at 11:00 a.m.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the Postal Service OIG - Office of Investigations for its work in this case and thanked Assistant United States Attorney Tamera L. Fine, who is prosecuting the case.