Investigative News Releases

ST. LOUIS – A former employee of the U.S. Postal Service on Wednesday admitted stealing checks from the mail and depositing them in her own account. Porcia Denise Rhodes, 27, of St. Louis, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of bank fraud and one count of theft of mail by an employee of the U.S. Postal Service. The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General.

ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Marlene Cruz, 40, of Rochester, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with delay or destruction of mail and theft of mail matter by officer or employee. The charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The complaint is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent-in-Charge NE Field Office.

PITTSBURGH, PA – A former resident of Stockton, CA, has been sentenced in federal court to 60 months of imprisonment on his conviction for violating federal narcotics laws. U.S. District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand imposed the sentence on Abel Perez. Perez was a courier who transported methamphetamine to post offices in the Stockton, CA area that were shipped to individuals in the W. Dist of Penn. U.S. Attorney Olshan commended the United States Postal Service – Office of Inspector General.

WICHITA, KAN. – A former U.S. Postal Service worker was sentenced to 24 months of probation for criminal conduct related to her employment. On September 21, 2022, Frink, while working at a post office in McDonald, Kansas, opened a sealed greeting card. Frink did not have authority to open the piece of mail. Frink was ordered to serve 60 hours of community service and to pay a total restitution of $1,686. The U.S. Postal Service – Office of the Inspector General investigated the case.

NEW ORLEANS – COI MORRIS, age 25, of New Orleans, Louisiana pled guilty on November 1, 2023 to embezzling the mail, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. According to court documents, COI MORRIS was employed by the USPS as a mail handler at the processing center in New Orleans when he was apprehended stealing items from the mail he was entrusted to handle. U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General in investigating this matter.