OKLAHOMA CITY - JAMES BRYAN BARNES, 53, of Norman, has been convicted by a jury of embezzlement of postal funds, theft of government money, and making false postal record entries, announced United States Attorney Timothy J. Downing.
According to a second superseding indictment, Barnes was the lead Sales and Service Associate at the Midwest City Branch Post Office when he conducted a scheme to steal postal funds by taking cash for stamps without properly accounting for the sales. He was charged with one count of embezzlement of postal funds in excess of $1,000, one count of theft of government money in excess of $1,000, and four counts of making false entries in the U.S. Postal Service’s records.
Today, a jury convicted Barnes on those six counts. The jury heard that Barnes made false record entries into his cash register at least 178 times from October 2015 through June 2018 and took almost $3,000 belonging to the Postal Service.
At sentencing, Barnes faces up to ten years in prison on each of the six counts of conviction, in addition to a fine of up to $250,000 per count. He will also be subject to up to three years of supervised release after imprisonment. Sentencing will take place in approximately ninety days.
These charges are the result of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Service-Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys William E. Farrior and Nick M. Coffey.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
