Former U.S. Postal Service Employee Pleads Guilty to Federal Mail Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Earnestine White, 48, of Evans, pleaded guilty today to delay or destruction of mail. White admitted to failing to process mail while a U.S. Postal Service employee assigned to the Post Office in Cottageville, Jackson County.

According to court documents and statements made in court, White was employed as a clerk at the Cottageville Post Office from 2017 through 2021. While employed at the Cottageville Post Office, White was responsible for accepting and processing mail dropped off by customers and for ensuring customers received incoming mail. White admitted that from about September 2020 until September 21, 2021, she knowingly delayed the mail by failing to forward mail to its proper location that came into her possession through her employment with the United States Postal Service.

White is scheduled to be sentenced on February 9, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,00 fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Postal Inspection Service.

United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Blackwell is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-162.

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