Arnaudville man pleads guilty to theft of mail on Opelousas route

LAFAYETTE, La. – Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced today that an Opelousas mail carrier pleaded guilty to stealing cell phones from mail.

Tremayne Cluse, 24, of Arnaudville, La., pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carol Whitehurst to one count of theft of mail by a postal service employee. The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter. According to the guilty plea, the Opelousas postmaster reported to law enforcement agents that there was information linking Cluse to missing packages. Agents conducted an investigation, and they found packages in Cluse’s post office locker that had been opened and not delivered. Agents interviewed Cluse on December 24, 2015. He initially lied about taking the packages, but later admitted that he had started opening packages in November of 2015. Cluse stole four cell phones and one cell phone case from mail.

Cluse faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, restitution and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date of July 17, 2017 was set.

The U.S. Postal Service-Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert F. Moore is prosecuting the case.