Investigative News Releases

Working with our Law Enforcement Partners

Our special agents investigate nationwide internal crimes and fraud committed by postal employees and contractors as well as postal employee misconduct. We work with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and local prosecutors across the country to prosecute these crimes.

In some instances, we uncover much larger criminal activity being carried out by multiple individuals and organizations. In many of these cases, we partner with other federal and local law enforcement agencies to identify and hold responsible those who take advantage of the public’s trust in our postal system.

Below are links to the most recent news releases about our work.

Former USPS Manager Sentenced to 30 Months for Stealing More Than $630,000 in Stamps

Date Released: 05/30/2019

NEW ORLEANS – United States Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced today that RYAN S. CORTEZ, age 47, of Des Allemands, Louisiana, was sentenced today for Misappropriation of Postal Funds. According to court records, special agents with the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General (“USPS-OIG”) were notified by PayPal and eBay regarding significant quantities of U.S. Postal stamps being sold by CORTEZ on eBay. A subsequent investigation by Postal OIG revealed that, as manager, CORTEZ had...

U.S. Postal Service Employee Sentenced for Embezzling

Date Released: 05/21/2019

BOSTON – A U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employee has been sentenced in federal court in Boston with embezzling over $18,000. Rashayna Seney, 26, of Randolph, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Senior Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to time served (one day) and three years of supervised release with the special condition that during the first year she serve 74 days of intermittent confinement at a residential re-entry center. Judge Woodlock also ordered Seney to pay restitution totaling $18,150. The...

Former Postal Worker Sentenced to Prison for Stealing Electronics

Date Released: 05/14/2019

A former U.S. Postal Service employee was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 14 months in prison for stealing electronic devices from mail shipments and directing others to sell the stolen devices at pawn shops and on online marketplaces. JAMIE GUHLKE, 56, of Federal Way, Washington was indicted for theft of mail in April 2018 and pleaded guilty in November 2018. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge James L. Robart said that GUHLKE’s crimes were a violation of her...

Former Postal Employee Sentenced After Firing Shotgun at Federal Reserve Bank

Date Released: 05/10/2019

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of CHRISTOPHER DOUGLAS WOOD, 43, to eight months of confinement after firing three shotgun rounds at the Federal Reserve Bank building in downtown Minneapolis. WOOD, who pleaded guilty on December 17, 2018, was sentenced before Chief Judge John R. Tunheim in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, on the night of July 21, 2018, during the...

Man Sentenced for Cashing More Than $60,000 in Stolen Postal Money Orders

Date Released: 05/08/2019

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that James Lebel, 40, formerly of Brooklyn, Connecticut, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 30 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for cashing more than $60,000 in stolen postal money orders. According to court documents and statements made in court, Lebel was married to Michelle Barbeau, who was employed by the U.S. Postal Service at the...