Texas RCA sentenced to prison for mail and identity theft
TweetThe following information was released by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas:
Former rural carrier associate Rodney Ervin has been sentenced to prison for mail theft, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft, acting United States Attorney Tim Johnson announced today.
U.S. District Court Judge Melinda Harmon sentenced Ervin to one month imprisonment on the mail theft count, one month for the access device count to run concurrently. He will also serve a two-year mandatory statutory maximum sentence for the aggravated identity theft count, to run consecutively for a total of a 25-month sentence. Indicted on July 17, 2008, Ervin pleaded guilty on Nov. 7, 2008, admitting he stole mail containing credit cards from customers residing along Rural Route 127, delivered out of the Bear Creek Station located on Cairnway Drive in Houston.
Special Agents of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG) initiated an investigation upon receiving a customer complaint advising use of a Chase MasterCard credit card stolen from the mail. Follow-up investigation revealed two additional Chase credit cards stolen from the mail. USPS-OIG agents determined Ervin had been assigned to the effected route when the reported mail losses had occurred. In addition, Ervin was captured and identified from video surveillance at various merchant locations using the credit cards and signing the legitimate customers’ names. The customers advised they did not authorize Ervin possession or use of their credit cards and Ervin was identified as being responsible for $2,517.52 in fraudulent charges.
Following the sentencing of another rural carrier associate in just less than two weeks, also resulting in the mandatory two-year-term, once again, the USPS reiterates: “Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States and is a serious federal offense,” said Max Eamiguel, Executive Special Agent-in-Charge, USPS-OIG, Southwest Field Office. “The American public trusts the Postal Service to deliver its mail intact. When a postal employee betrays that trust and steals mail, then uses stolen financial information to wreak havoc in the lives of our citizens, Special Agents of the Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General investigate. Fortunately, these incidents are not common and the overwhelming majority of the 700,000 postal employees are honest and hard working. With the prosecutive support of the United States Attorney’s Office, we will aggressively pursue any employee committing a postal crime.”
Ervin began his employment with the United States Postal Service as a rural carrier associate on Aug. 28, 1999. His employment has since been terminated.
Ervin will be allowed to self-surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on within 45 days. In addition to the 25 months sentence plus the mandatory two-year prison term, Judge Melinda Harmon also imposed a two-term of supervised release to begin following his release from prison and further ordered he pay restitution to the victims in the amount of $2,517.52.
The investigation leading to Ervin’s indictment and arrest was conducted by Special Agents with USPS-OIG. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Tammie Y. Moore.
April 11th, 2009 20:11
I am of the opinion that as long as prison terms for this kind of thing remain low, there is little in the way of deterrence. Really, a one-month term for mail theft and a ‘maximum’ two years on identity theft? What a joke.
Personally, I would like to see at least a minimum 10 years for mail theft, then pile it on for identity theft. As far as a fine goes, the convicted should be forced to pay at least as much as he earned during his time with the USPS, since, in effect, his job was a fraud because he violated the very essence of service he was supposed to be providing. At the minimum, $100,000 should be collected.
Until we start coming down hard on these ‘uncommon’ violators, we will continue to read about mail theft by carriers. Like we need to give people a reason to quit using our service.
April 12th, 2009 08:40
reading through the last few months of blog postings about employees who steal, it seems most are of a non career nature (PMRs, TEs, RCAs) why not get rid of these short time people and hire employees who look at the job as a long time, well compensated career?
April 13th, 2009 06:09
I somewhat agree to the Florida carrier. I think the prison sentence should be longer but the amount paid from his career? Where would that money go? Plus that’s just not very logical. I do believe though that his prison sentence is little to nothing. We need to make an example out of these thiefs and bring a tidle wave down upon them. We all as Federal Postal employees swore an oathe of honesty when we took this job. For someone to decieve it is a crime that should be punishable like the military type punishments. The military cracks down a lot harder on things like that. But I think today our biggest problem of theft is employees stealing time. Also fake workers comp. These employees that have various restrictions for a long time is what we need to also crack down on. They are stealing from all of us. I do understand the employees with legitimate problems but the ones that abuse should be made an example of as well.
May 9th, 2009 22:27
rodney ervin is my brother in law and he feels real remorseful for what he did ….this man has a daughter , my neice and she will suffer because of his poor judgement call . He is ready and willing to serve his time and pay his debt to society.
May 20th, 2009 18:35
Let me guess, he feels “real remorse” for what he actually did or for the fact that he got caught! I’m a very strong Union activist; however, I have personal issues with thieves as it makes us all “suspect” in the minds of the public. We need to be “above the law” when it comes to the security of the mail.