A Sacramento postal clerk could face up to 35 years in prison and a $1 million fine after pleading guilty this week to embezzling more than $38,000 in U.S. postal funds.
Stephen Douglas Martin, 56, of Sacramento worked at the city's historic Metro Station Post Office at 801 I Street. He has been a postal worker for 24 years, U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott's office stated in a news release.
As a postal clerk, Martin was responsible for counter transactions, post office money, meter stamp refunds, money order and reporting cash transactions into a daily record.
According to federal prosecutors, Martin stole $38,242.20 in U.S. Postal funds and money then submitted falsified daily records from June 2007 to March 2008.
Martin also made false entries into the Metro post office's point of sales system to decrease the amount of cash he needed to report on his daily record, the release states.
Martin pleaded guilty Tuesday morning before U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton to felony embezzlement of postal funds, theft of government money, making false reports on government accounting forms and theft of postal money orders, the release states.
Martin's sentence will be determined at the court's discretion during a Nov. 25 hearing. He could receive 35 years in prison and be forced to pay restitution and a $1 million fine.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service's Office of the Inspector General.
Call The Bee's Niesha Lofing, (916) 321-1270.
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