Sisters, Postal Employees Sentenced in Seperate Cases

BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that in separate and unrelated cases, Amanda Elliott, 35, of Ellington, N.Y., and Tamara Elliott, 30, of Falconer, N.Y., who were convicted of misappropriation of postal service funds by postal service employee, were sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny.

Amanda Elliott was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to pay $5,579.48 in restitution. Tamara Elliott was sentenced to two years probation to include three months home confinement and ordered to pay restitution totaling $11,326.86.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell T. Ippolito, Jr., who handled the case, stated that Amanda Elliott was the Postmaster Relief at the post office located in Lily Dale, N.Y. between December 2012 and September 5, 2013. During that time, the defendant accepted cash payments from customers for the purchase of postage stamps. Instead of depositing the cash in the cash register, Elliott kept the cash for personal use.      

In the second case, Tamara Elliott was the Postmaster Relief at the post office located in Ellington, N.Y. Between December 2012 and September 5, 2013, Tamara Elliott accepted cash payments from customers for the purchase of postage stamps. Instead of depositing the cash in the cash register, the defendant kept the cash for her own purposes. Tamara Elliott also rented post office boxes and sold money orders to customers and kept the cash payments.

The sentencings are the culmination of an investigation by Special Agents with the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Monica Weyler, Eastern Area Field Office, Philadelphia, PA.