BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that in separate and unrelated cases, Amanda Elliott, 35, of Ellington, N.Y., and Tamara Elliott, 30, of Falconer, N.Y., pleaded guilty to misappropriation of postal service funds by postal service employee before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leslie G. Foschio. The charge carries a maximum sentence 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell T. Ippolito, Jr., who is handling the case, stated that Amanda Elliott was the Postmaster Relief at the post office located in Lily Dale, N.Y. between December 2012 and September 5, 2013. During that time, the defendant accepted cash payments from customers for the purchase of postage stamps. Instead of depositing the cash in the cash register, Elliott kept the cash for personal use. The total loss to the USPS was $5,579.48.
In the second case, Tamara Elliott was the Postmaster Relief at the post office located in Ellington, N.Y. Between December 2012 and September 5, 2013, Tamara Elliott accepted cash payments from customers for the purchase of postage stamps. Instead of depositing the cash in the cash register, the defendant kept the cash for her own purposes. Tamara Elliott also rented post office boxes and sold money orders to customers and kept the cash payments. The total loss to the USPS was $11,326.86.
The pleas are the culmination of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, Eastern Area Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Monica Weyler.
The defendants will be sentenced by the Chief U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny at a later date.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
