Almost three dozen people, most of them postal workers, are under arrest or indictment from all over Southern California following a federal sweep targeting crimes against the U.S. Postal Service and its customers.
The suspects – from Carson, Long Beach, West Covina, Lake Elsinore, Rancho Cucamonga, Diamond Bar, and Compton – are accused of mail theft, stealing everything from cell phones to prescription drugs to video games, reports ABC 7.
In one case, a Moreno Valley postal worker was charged with conspiracy and possession of stolen mail after authorities found him in possession of at least 166 stolen mobile phones that he had been offering for exchange online.
Another postal carrier is accused of hoarding 48,000 pieces of mail at her home, all of which were to be delivered to her customers in Placentia.
And another mail carrier is accused using stolen identities to order pre-paid PayPal debit cards which were sent to fake addresses on his route – which he then sold, according to the Press Enterprise.
“Mail theft across Southern California has increased recently, which is significant since this type of crime tends to be a precursor to other crimes like identity theft and drug offenses,” said U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “As a result, we are stepping up enforcement activities, including dealing aggressively with corruption within the Postal Service.”
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