Former La Crosse Mail Carrier Sentenced for Opening and Destroying Mail

MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Ashley Straub, 25, Onalaska, Wisconsin, was sentenced February 5, 2026, by U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita M. Boor to one year of probation and a $500 fine for opening and destroying mail. Judge Boor also ordered Straub to pay restitution to the known victims.

Straub worked as a mail carrier at the La Crosse Post Office. In February 2025, Straub opened numerous items of mail and stole $350 in cash and several gift cards.

At the sentencing, Judge Boor noted that theft by mail carriers erodes   trust in the United States Postal Service. In selecting an appropriate sentence, Judge Boor balanced Straub’s harm to the community with her lack of  criminal history.

The charge against Straub was the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and the La Crosse Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alex Samuel and Megan Stelljes prosecuted this case.