Friday, December 21, 2012

A Sad Reality About Postal Employee Thefts and the Holidays

[Photo of Postal Delivery Truck from wikipedia]
As Christmas approaches, are you expecting to receive gift cards or money in the mail from family members? Well, frankly, we all must face the fact that, for various reasons, the mail does not always reach its destination, even at Christmas. 

As a former federal prosecutor, here, in Augusta, Georgia, I sometimes prosecuted mail thefts by U.S. Postal Service employees. Some cases involved simple thefts of newspapers or magazines. Other thefts included income tax refund checks and other valuables sent through the mail. But generally all such thefts involve a horrible abuse of a position of trust.

According to various news reports, during six months of 2012, 171 Postal employees around the country were charged with theft or destruction of U.S. mail. In one recent case, in an Atlanta federal court, Gerald Eason, a postal supervisor at an Atlanta mail distribution facility, was prosecuted, along with four co-workers, for reportedly stealing $3 million in U.S. Treasury checks, including folks' V.A. and Social Security checks.

So, while you may be expecting a gift in the mail this Christmas from grandma, please realize that, sadly, it simply might never reach your mailbox! Unfortunately, no one is immune from white collar crime, even during the holidays.

3 comments:

  1. Yes, I know exactly what you mean because on some occasions I have lost birthday cards with money. You see, it's quite easy to recognize a card in an white envelop, so I guess most people know that cards can contain money or cheques inside. You can even see that the sealed envelop has been tampered with and re-stuck down again.

    I now tell people not to send me any cash at all via the post, it's their money that is being taken or if there is anything of value, then the best thing to do is have it registered, so you can at least make a postal claim if things go missing.

    HAPPY NEW YEAR, and enjoy the festive season.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That is sad. I have been a victim of mail theft on a large scale in the past and I ma happy to say the majority f our mail reaches us safe and sound. You always post such interesting topics my friend. Thank you for sharing at the hop :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for visiting and Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete