Former Postmaster Indicted For Stealing Postal Funds

MINNEAPOLIS—Recently in federal court, the former postmaster of the Marble Post Office in Itasca County was indicted for stealing funds from the office. On June 10, 2013, Jill Marie Rousse, age 39, of Calumet, was charged with one count of misappropriation of postal funds and one count of unlawful issuance of postal money orders.

The indictment alleges that between August 2011 and October 2012, Rousse stole money from the post office by either directly taking cash from the cash drawer or issued money orders in her name. In addition, Rousse falsified reporting documents regarding the sale of money orders and postage in order to conceal her theft.

If convicted, Rousse faces a potential maximum penalty of ten years in prison on the misappropriation count and five years on the unlawful issuance count. Any sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge. This case is the result of an investigation by the United States Postal Service-Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lola Velazquez-Aguilu.

An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by a defendant. A defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until he or she pleads guilty or is proven guilty at trial.