Department of Justice press release:

Acting United States Attorney Robert S. Cessar announced today, May 12, 2010, that Rachel Schaar of Munhall, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of theft of mail by a postal employee.

The one‑count indictment named Schaar, age 38, as the sole defendant.

According to the indictment, on or about February 24, 2010, Schaar, being a Postal Service employee, embezzled 24 first­class letters in white and colored envelopes in varying sizes.

Assistant United States Attorney Scott W. Brady, who presented the case to the grand jury, indicated that the law provides for a maximum total sentence of five (5) years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

The United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

Department of Justice press release:

Acting United States Attorney Robert S. Cessar announced today, May 12, 2010, that Lisa Strickland of West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of destruction of mail by a postal employee.

The one‑count indictment named Strickland, age 33, as the sole defendant.

According to the indictment, on or about April 3, 2010, Strickland, being a Postal Service employee, hid approximately 1,198 pieces of mail which had been entrusted and which had come into her possession intended to be conveyed by United States mail.

Assistant United States Attorney Scott W. Brady, who presented the case to the grand jury, indicated that the law provides for a maximum total sentence of five (5) years in prison, a fine of $500,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

The United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

Jim Tierney at the Big Fat Marketing blog comes up with another reason to stop delivering mail on Saturdays…

National Dog Bite Prevention Week is nearly upon us and that can only mean one thing: The U.S. Postal Service will receive its 5-day mail delivery?

Well, here me out. The USPS is a staunch supporter of National Dog Bite Prevention Week (May 17-23), which calls attention to one of the nation’s most commonly reported public health problems: dog bites.

… besides helping the USPS emerge from its fiscal crisis, wouldn’t one less day of mail delivery mean fewer letter carriers being bitten by dogs?

via Another Reason for 5-Day Delivery? | The Big Fat Marketing Blog.

Taft, Calif. —

The alleged mastermind of the October 2009 mail truck robbery in Taft was a former driver with insider knowledge and the gunman was his nephew, according to police and federal court documents.

Both men were arrested in Bakersfield on May 5 and indicted by a federal grand jury on Thursday.

They were identified today by the United States Attorney as Daniel “Danny” Diaz, 24 and Raul Ojeda, 40, both of Bakersfield.

The two men are charged in connection with the Oct. 16 hijacking and robbery of a mail truck that had stopped at East Kern Street and Highway 119.

A man armed with a handgun jumped in the cab of the truck and forced the driver to drive at gunpoint to the eastern side of the old West Side hospital complex.

via “Mastermind” of postal robbery had insider knowledge. – Taft, CA – Taft Midway Driller.

PLATTSBURGH — ▶ Postal service veteran arrested after six-month surveillance over complaint of missing gift cardA mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service has been suspended after he was allegedly caught stealing mail from his Plattsburgh route.

Authorities say Gregory J. O’Connell was arrested earlier this month after a six-month surveillance operation reportedly found that the 52-year-old Plattsburgh man was involved in the repeated theft of gift cards and other pieces of mail.Plattsburgh City Police said the probe began in December after city residents complained that a Walmart gift card they were expecting had never arrived.

via Mail carrier accused of repeated thefts » Local News » Press-Republican.

LITCHFIELD — David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Kevin Ryan, 58, of Litchfield, pleaded guilty today before Senior United States District Judge Ellen Bree Burns in New Haven to one count of misappropriation of postal funds.

According to court documents and statements made in court, between June 2008 and June 2009, Ryan was the Officer in Charge of the North Canton Post Office. While serving as the Office in Charge, Ryan imprinted and deposited into his personal bank account postal money orders without making the required corresponding payments to the U.S. Postal Service until days or weeks later. During this time, Ryan kited approximately 66 money orders.

When interviewed by federal agents on June 10, 2009, Ryan turned over six money order vouchers that had been redeemed but not paid for. The total amount of money Ryan failed to pay to the U.S. Postal Service was $2,040.

via Postal officer pleads guilty to misappropriation of funds- The Register Citizen News – Northwest Connecticut’s Daily Newspaper.

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Paul Hodes and Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter are demanding an investigation into a new round of allegations that letter carriers at even more post offices have been shortchanged on their paychecks. In documents obtained by Hodes, post offices in Dover and Salem, New Hampshire are shown to have manipulated letter carriers’ time sheets to remove overtime pay and earned wages.

“Cheating workers out of their pay is a very serious offense and threatens the livelihood of these hardworking New Hampshire families,” said Hodes. “These troubling allegations must be investigated thoroughly, and any stolen pay should be immediately reimbursed to these workers.”

“The Office of Inspector General (OIG) has already found time sheet tampering of letter carriers throughout the State and these actions cannot continue,” said Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter. “After taking a close look at these new documents, I believe it is appropriate for the OIG to investigate these new incidents.”

Never before seen evidence of manipulated timesheets has been sent to the chief investigator for fraud at the US Postal Service. Hodes and Shea-Porter have demanded an investigation into these documents and the alleged wage theft against New Hampshire workers.

Last year, Hodes spurred similar investigations at several New Hampshire post offices which led to thousand of dollars in repaid wages for workers. The investigations concluded that managers at five New Hampshire postal stations were found to be cheating workers out of rightfully earned wages. In total, previous investigations have uncovered 103 employees who were shortchanged, and the Hodes investigation has already led to $37,600 in wages being returned.

SAN FRANCISCO, May 13 — The U.S. Department of Justice's U.S. Attorney's office for Northern District of California issued the following press release:

A former U.S. Postal Service employee was sentenced last week to incarceration in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $9,300 in restitution for her theft of U.S. mail, United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello announced.

Heather Laurie, 38, of Nice, Calif., pleaded guilty to a two-count felony indictment on Jan. 21, 2010. That indictment charged her with theft of mail by a postal employee and with delay and destruction of the mail. As part of her guilty plea, Laurie admitted that over a five year period while she was employed at the Postal Service's North Bay Processing and Distribution Center in Petaluma, Calif., she stole more than 500 parcels from the U.S. mail that were addressed to others and that contained prescription drugs. The North Bay Processing and Distribution Center is a major artery and distribution center for mail destined for the western United States.

Although the defendant sought a sentence of probation, Chief Judge Walker imposed a 10-month sentence, to include a five-month term of imprisonment.

“The integrity of the U.S. mail is a privilege Americans have come to cherish and justifiably take great pride in,” United States Attorney Russoniello said. “This sentence sends an important message to other would-be mail thieves. Tampering with mail is a crime that will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Any individual who is caught stealing another individual’s mail should expect to be sentenced to prison.”

“The American public expects postal employees to be diligent and honest when handling their mail and citizens have an expectation that their mail will not be stolen while in the possession of Postal Service employees.” Nichole Cooper, Special Agent in Charge for the USPS OIG Pacific Area Field Office added.

The sentence was handed down on May 6 by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker following a guilty plea on both counts in violation of 18 U.S.C. Sec. 1709 and 18 U.S.C. Sec. 1703. Judge Walker also sentenced the defendant to a three-year period of supervised release and ordered her to pay restitution in the amount of $9,365. The defendant will begin serving her sentence on July 16, 2010.

Kathryn R. Haun is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who prosecuted the case with the assistance of Rosario Calderon. The prosecution is the result of over a year-long investigation by the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of the Inspector General.

By most comparisons, their businesses are worlds apart. But global retailer eBay and small businessman Grady Hesters of Auburn shared a common goal Wednesday: protesting a U.S. Postal Service proposal to drop Saturday deliveries.

Hesters and an eBay director sat side by side during a postal commission hearing at Sacramento City Hall, one of seven hearings being held nationwide through June to gather public testimony on the ground-breaking proposal.

Faced with multibillion-dollar losses, shrinking mail volume and competition from online commerce, the U.S. Postal Service is desperately looking to cut costs. Though Congress will have the final say on dropping Saturday service, about 60 residents, consumer advocates and business owners showed up in Sacramento to voice their concerns.

via Big, little postal clients plead to keep Saturday service – Sacramento Business, Housing Market News | Sacramento Bee.

On its web site, the National Association of Letter Carriers highlights a comment by the PMG that hasn’t gotten much attention:

Just the beginning? Buried at the bottom of a piece in Monday’s Washington Post on Postmaster General Jack Potter was this quote from his remarks at last month’s National Postal Forum in Nashville: “The value of going to four days—removing a second day—is even greater.”

Here’s how the Post story ends:

“The value of going to four days — removing a second day — is even greater,” he said. Although no such plans exist, Potter said that Tuesdays are the second-slowest day of the week.