Some USPS workers stealing mail: Inspector General report

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Hill

01/04/25 7:58 AM ET


As mail and packages continue to be targeted by thieves, a federal investigation found that it’s actually some postal workers that are stealing items.

A recent report by the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) Inspector General, found that internal mail theft is attributed to having no nationwide policy restricting personal belongings on the workroom floor; high supervisor and manager vacancy rates and not having periodic mail theft awareness employee training. While processing facilities have cameras, some of them were not working because of switch, server or cable failures.

Another reason is that criminal organizations are recruiting workers to infiltrate the USPS system. These groups are “targeting, recruiting, and colluding with postal employees to move narcotics through the postal network and to steal checks — both personal and government-issued checks — credit cards, and other valuables from the mail,” USPS Inspector General Tammy L. Hull said in the report.

Federal prosecutors in December charged two postal workers with stealing more than $1 million in business checks at facilities in Virginia and North Carolina, the Dallas Morning News reported. There was also a mail handler in St. Louis accused of stealing 55 out of 150 packages out of a truck. That investigation found that other mail handlers were working as lookouts while stashing and storing packages in their jackets.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/5066246-postal-workers-stealing-mail-inspector-general-report/

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Link to USPS IG REPORT (PDF) - https://www.uspsoig.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2024-10/24-076-r25.pdf

[Irish_Dem]

1. The PO where I live was stealing gift cards out of envelopes.

People complained to the head of the PO who didn't seem to care at all.

[DENVERPOPS]

3. Recently

I had a situation where Amazon employees were stealing items from packages to me.......definitely an inside job............

I predict, as things get worse in our economy, there will be a flood of this kind of theft of everything and anything.......

Also, there is an epidemic, nationwide, of shoplifting. Especially with entire chains of conspirators in large geographical areas....

[Irish_Dem]

4. Americans see our leaders getting away with their crimes.

The lawlessness will go down the food chain.
Like in Russia and China where corruption is the norm.

[LiberalArkie]

10. An interesting thing is I do not believe that people making a decent income with benefits very seldom steal from stores

or commit property crimes.

[DENVERPOPS]

14. DO ? or DO NOT??????

Seldom or Often /????

[littlemissmartypants]

22. Clear as mud. eom

[IbogaProject]

16. The shoplifting "epidemic" was greatly exaggerated.

Yes it was out of control in California for awhile but it hasn't been much more than the historical norm overall.

[XanaDUer2]

2. This is disgusting

[Autumn]

5. That's been going on for some time in our area.

[milestogo]

6. No surprise.

Does DeJoy take a cut?

[ZonkerHarris]

7. Not shocked.

[snot]

8. How about

paying workers a decent wage and not requiring each one to do the work of 3 people?

[Polybius]

24. USPS salaries are pretty good

Another option is mandatory 5 years in prison for mail theft.

[HariSeldon]

9. This will suck most for rural and mobility-limited people and online-only retailer

Online retail depends on a lot of economic infrastructure: a functional Internet, a reasonable remote-payment system, and a trustworthy delivery system. Those of us living in (mostly blue-to-purple) cities have local access to almost anything we would need, at slightly increased inconvenience, so long as we are mobile.

Those with mobility challenges (including lack of a vehicle in areas with inadequate public transportation options) and those who live outside cities (in mostly deep-red areas) will bear the bring of this, unless Trump's administration unexpectedly addresses the delivery problem and holds the payment systems to at least their current level of dependability (and ability to challenge charges, in the case of credit cards). While the impact on those who experience mobility problems because of health, age, or economic reasons saddens me, I can't help but feel a bit of schadenfreude about the MAGA rurals who will lose massive convenience of delivered medicines, packages, and other communications (even if they had to travel to their post office box for retrieval).

I can't predict if the need to visit cities for reliable retail and financial transactions will cause those rural MAGAs to develop more of an appreciation for or antipathy toward the cities they visit. They will, at least, experience cities without the interposed filter of Fox News or right-wing talk radio.

I also feel for the non-MAGA rural dwellers, realizing not everyone outside the cities supported the orange felon. On the plus side, those of you in this category may receive some slop-over as Trump tries to reward the reddest areas of the country (if he remembers they helped him into the White House).

[NotHardly]

11. If you only find thieves after they steal $1million, you are shit at investigating

[GreenWave]

12. What if they steal votes?

[multigraincracker]

13. When I worked at the auto company many years ago,

Lots of small items went out the door in workers pockets. Then came a big bust when they caught some salary workers taking out pallets of alterations. They got hundreds of them in a few days.

[OrwellwasRight]

19. What is a pallet of alterations? nt

[multigraincracker]

20. Sorry alternators. About 120 of them.

[OrwellwasRight]

21. Thx.

That was my guess but there are so many new terms these days that I figured I should ask.

[Gary 50]

15. I lost $1975 to the post office.

I sent a package for an Ebay sale insured for $1975, the price the item sold for, and the postage and insurance came to $40. A week or so later the intended recipient said she never got the item. I said it was reported delivered and had to be signed for. She said she never signed for it and never saw it. I asked her to talk to her mailman to find out who signed it. Later she emailed me that her mailman had printed her name and left it at her house. So, she puts in a claim on Ebay since she doesn't want to take the $1975 loss. I refunded her money because 1-I believed her story, 2- there was no signature on the return receipt and 3- Ebay would probably refund the money 9 out of 10 times regardless of the situation. I put in a postal insurance claim. A real pain in the ass, hours finding records and printing copies and filling out forms. They rejected my claim. I appealed. I pleaded with them to confirm what happened by contacting the local post office and finding the letter carrier who "signed" the receipt. Spent hours more on my appeal. Rejected. I have appealed again. Took less than an hour. I expect the same bullshit answer. My next letter won't be so nice, but it will be futile. They know they lost my package. What did my $35 insurance (plus $5 postage) buy? I guess they are using the United Healthcare model.

[Intractable]

18. It's as if just by buying the insurance, it signals that the package is valuable.

>> Later she emailed me that her mailman had printed her name and left it at her house.

That "mailman" should be up on charges.

I sell on eBay. What happened to you is my biggest fear when being a seller.

[Polybius]

25. $1,975 is an awful lot for a small package sold through eBay

Let me guess: Classic video game? Many are in that range or more.

[Intractable]

17. Is Trump going to use this as an excuse for privatizing the mail?

The Post Office is one of those things that contributes to the greatness of this country.

Gotta catch the criminals and make examples of them.

[union rep]

23. set up.......

Why is this news? sounds like any workplace related incident. Dirty news getting spread among all the stupid people so when the asshole union busting admin. gets in there they have something to hang their hat on and call them facts. Lets compare this to Amazon stats because thats who will be delivering the mail right? Its all about funding the Post Office they have their own in house police, and could use the extra help. Places like Amazon invest in security to protect their profits. Post Office is non profit, and employs thousands of honest Americans. This shit happens everywhere now probably more then ever ,we have a President thats above the law and as crooked as the day is long, that affects certain folks mostly dishonest folk.This is only the beginning and the son of a bitch has not yet taken office. Hold on everybody.