Bangor, Maine: Acting United States Attorney Richard W. Murphy announced that Amanda K. Wentzell, 26, of Augusta, Maine, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to stealing mail while being a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employee.
According to court documents, in February 2016, the defendant began working as a retail clerk the post office in Temple, Maine. In July 2016, a Temple resident complained that his son had not received a prepaid debit card sent to him by U.S. mail. Investigation revealed that the defendant activated the debit card and used it to make two purchases totaling the $100 value of the debit card, she had been “rifling" mail, and between about April and August 2016, she took and opened several pieces of mail that were being processed by the post office. On August 9, 2016, the defendant resigned her USPS position.
Wentzell faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.
The case was investigated by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the USPS, Office of Inspector General.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
