Jury convicts former Lafayette postal service employee for stealing from U.S. mail

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that, after a one-day trial, a federal jury found a Lafayette woman guilty of stealing from U.S. mail.

After deliberating for 17 minutes, a federal jury found Cate A. Plauche, 49, of Lafayette, guilty on 11 counts of theft of mail.  United States District Judge Donald E. Walter presided over the trial. Plauche stole hundreds of dollars from mail in April of 2015 while employed as a mail carrier at a Lafayette Post Office.

Plauche faces five years in prison, three years of supervised release, restitution and a $250,000 fine for each count.  The U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dominic A. Rossetti and John Luke Walker prosecuted the case.