Postal worker sold bags ‘chock full’ of mail for $300, feds say. Now, he’s sentenced

A postal worker from Virginia is accused of stealing mail from at least 10 people and selling it in trash bags.

Terell Taylor, 40, pleaded guilty to theft of mail by a U.S. Postal Service employee and has been sentenced to 20 months in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said in a July 12 news release.

Taylor’s attorney declined to comment to McClatchy News, citing local rules about speaking to the news media.

“Mr. Taylor himself has communicated that he is extremely disappointed in his actions and has regrets for committing the offense,” his attorney wrote in a position on sentencing memorandum.

In 2023, “rather than doing this job with integrity, on numerous occasions, Taylor stole mail that was entrusted to his care while such mail was in the mail stream,” federal officials said in a sentencing memorandum.

The Richmond carrier is accused of then selling the mail “in bulk.”

U.S. Postal Service investigators began looking into Taylor in November, seven months after he started working as a carrier with the agency, according to Taylor’s attorney.

They installed surveillance cameras in his USPS truck, and they found that on Nov. 29, 2023, Taylor stuffed two trash bags “chock full of mail” and sold them for $300, officials said.

Photos included in the sentencing memorandum show him taking the bags out and counting the money inside his USPS truck.

He pleaded guilty March 12, 2024 and told investigators he was scared of an armed man on his route, who collected undelivered mail for a price. according to court documents.

In Taylor’s position of sentencing, his attorney said he dealt with substance abuse and had spent nearly half his life in prison on convictions for previous offenses.

A friend described him as a man of “exceptional character, work ethic and dedication to his community,” according to court documents.

“I’ve personally watched my brother feed homeless people, and give his time to help people out,” his brother said in sentencing documents.

Taylor faced up to five years in prison but was sentenced to one year and eight months.

This story was originally published July 16, 2024 at 1:59 PM with the headline "Postal worker sold bags ‘chock full’ of mail for $300, feds say. Now, he’s sentenced."