Postal Carrier Pleads Guilty To Stealing Mail

DAYTON, Ohio – Terrence P. Young, 37, of Dayton, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to a charge of delay or destruction of mail, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1703(a). 

Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Scott Balfour, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General, (USPS OIG), announced the plea entered into Tuesday before U.S. District Court Judge Walter H. Rice.

According to court documents, Young, a United States Postal Service carrier, stole Kroger coupons, a Kroger gift card, and a Walmart gift card from mail that had been entrusted to him to deliver.  He later used the gift cards at these stores to purchase personal items.  When law enforcement officers confronted him, he was found with a mail tub containing more than 200 pieces of first-class mail and approximately 178 pieces of presorted standard mail in the back of his personal car.

Young was employed by the United States Postal Service as a postal carrier from 2010 until March 2015, when he was terminated due, in part, to his theft of mail. His primary job function was to deliver mail along postal route 6, which falls within zip code 45417.

At least 11 customers made complaints at the P.L. Dunbar station in reference to their carrier not delivering their mail. The complaints were similar in nature in that residents advised they were not receiving any mail – including utility bills, business mail, pension checks, insurance correspondence, housing information, court documents and their children’s school information.

“Several customers advised that due to the non-receipt of their mail, they had utilities shut off, lost insurance, missed appointments and court dates, lost out on benefits for their children and were in the process of being evicted from their home without ever receiving notification through the mail,” Assistant United States Attorney Vipal Patel said. “Many had to pay penalties for late payments.”

The parties involved with this case have agreed to a sentencing range of at least one year probation and up to 10 months in prison. Sentencing has been scheduled for 10am on September 8, 2015.

U.S. Attorney Stewart commended the cooperative investigation by the USPS OIG, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Vipal Patel, who is representing the United States in this case.