Dozens of U.S. Postal Service employees throughout the Southland were charged this week with an array of federal crimes, including stealing mail, embezzling from the agency and failing to deliver mail, prosecutors announced Friday.
The defendants are charged across 28 cases, about half of which allege mail theft and/or possession of stolen mail by USPS employees and contractors. Other cases charge postal employees with conspiracy, embezzlement, bank fraud and false statements.
Five of the cases allege crimes by non-employees, including mail theft and fraud related to the use of credit cards that had been stolen from the mail.
Among the cases is one in which the former local area president of the Mail Handlers Union was charged with conspiracy and possession of stolen mail.
Jarol Garcia, 33, of Hemet, who formerly worked at the Moreno Valley Delivery Distribution Center as a mail handler, allegedly stole mobile phones from parcels going through the center and traded the phones after offering them for exchange on a website, according to an indictment, which also alleges that Garcia was found in possession of at least 166 mobile phones stolen from the mail.
Another case charges a mail carrier from the Mid-City District of Los Angeles with conspiracy to commit credit card fraud and theft of mail.
The indictment alleges that Norman A. Muschamp, 48, was part of a conspiracy to use information belonging to identity theft victims to order pre-paid PayPal debit cards that were sent to primarily nonexistent addresses on his mail route.
Muschamp allegedly took part in the scheme by obtaining the PayPal debit cards from the mail and delivering them to co-conspirators in exchange for cash. Investigators who are continuing to investigate the overall scheme believe it caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses.
Additionally, a postal carrier from the Sawtelle area of Los Angeles was charged with delaying the mail by effectively hoarding the mail she was entrusted to deliver on her Orange County route.
Sherry Naomi Watanabe, 48, was found at her home to have hoarded more than 48,000 pieces of mail which was supposed to have been delivered to customers on her route in Placentia, according to her plea agreement.
“The overwhelming majority of Postal Service employees are honest and dedicated public servants who are worthy of our trust,” said Brian Washington USPS Office of Inspector General special agent in charge. “However, when employees engage in criminal activity, our agency will aggressively investigate these matters to protect the overall integrity of the Postal Service.”
— City News Service