Postal carrier stole credit cards from mail, then went shopping in Florida, feds say
A contract postal carrier opened mail meant for residents on his Florida delivery route and stole credit cards he found inside, federal prosecutors said.
The man, who handled First Class mail delivery in Jacksonville, was seen shopping at Home Depot, Wawa and an Exxon gas station while using the stolen cards, according to court documents.
Surveillance footage showed him charging more than $1,000 to one card at the Home Depot in Jacksonville in October 2023, prosecutors wrote in a filing. He was also seen spending more than $250 at the other stores with the same person’s card and a second person’s card, according to court documents.
Now, the 35-year-old Jacksonville resident has pleaded guilty to credit card fraud and theft of mail, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida said in a Nov. 22 news release.
A federal public defender representing the man didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment Nov. 25.
The man’s guilty plea comes after prosecutors said the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General arrested him on July 29.
In December 2023, when authorities visited him at a postal facility and asked him about using credit cards belonging to mail customers, they found a third person’s stolen credit card inside his wallet, according to court documents.
The man started working as a highway contract carrier for USPS in September 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
“He faces up to 10 years in federal prison for the credit card fraud offense, up to 5 years’ imprisonment for the mail theft offense, and payment of restitution to the victims in the case,” prosecutors said.
His sentencing date wasn’t listed in court records.
Suspected crimes involving mail can be reported to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
This story was originally published November 25, 2024 at 7:19 AM with the headline "Postal carrier stole credit cards from mail, then went shopping in Florida, feds say."
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