PROVIDENCE, R.I. - A federal grand jury in Providence on Wednesday returned an indictment charging Matteo Morelli, 34, of Warwick, a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) letter carrier, with one count of delay or destruction of mail by a Postal Service officer or employee. It is alleged in court documents that Morelli discarded more than 1,000 pieces of mail that were addressed to individuals and business in East Greenwich and North Kingstown.
Morelli’s indictment was announced by United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha and Rafael Medina, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG), Northeast Area Field Office.
According to an affidavit in support of a criminal complaint filed previously with the court, in June 2013, the Postmaster for East Greenwich received complaints that mail sent via the U.S. Postal Service had not been delivered to intended recipients on routes assigned to Morelli. The Postmaster also received complaints of mail not reaching intended recipients along routes in North Kingstown assigned to Morelli.
According to the affidavit, following an interview with Morelli, USPS OIG agents discovered more than 1,000 pieces of mail allegedly discarded by Morelli inside a dumpster behind a school in Warwick.
Morelli is scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment on July 23, 2013.
An indictment and a criminal complaint are merely allegations and are not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Delay or destruction of mail by a Postal Service officer or employee is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and up to 3 years of supervised release.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zechariah Chafee
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
