U.S. Postal Employee Indicted for Thefts from Postal Service
BIRMINGHAM – A federal grand jury today indicted a Bessemer woman for stealing from the U.S. Postal Service while she worked at post offices in Adger and Dolomite, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Sam Montalvo.
A two-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges CHER SMOOT-JOHNSON, 44, with converting four $500 U.S. Postal money orders to her own use on Aug. 28, 2010, and with stealing money and stock worth more than $1,000 from the post offices between March and August 2010. The indictment seeks to have Smoot-Johnson forfeit $7,286 to the government.
The maximum penalty for a Postal employee converting Postal money orders to personal use is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum sentence for theft of government property is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank M. Salter is prosecuting the case.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove a defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
