Melissa Olson, a former postal worker in Randolph, New York, pleaded guilty on March 10 to theft of mail by a postal employee. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo.
The case highlights concerns about the security of mail and the trust placed in postal employees. Olson, age 47, was hired by the United States Postal Service in 2023 as a rural carrier associate at the Randolph Post Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright said Olson admitted that between April and May 2023 she opened a stamped first-class mail envelope entrusted to her for delivery and removed a Visa gift card from it. She also acknowledged opening other envelopes and rifling through items on various dates in 2023, which delayed their delivery.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General under Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent-in-Charge Northeast Field Office.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 9 before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.
