Postal Workers Accused of Mail and Key Theft in Tri-State Area

Postal Key Theft Investigations

• 🔍 The Inspector General has investigated 17 cases over the past four years involving postal employees stealing or losing their keys in the tri-state area.
• 🔑 An "arrow key," a universal postal key, can open any mailbox in a given zip code, making it a target for theft.

Cases of Internal Involvement

• 🚨 In Norwalk, Connecticut, postal workers suspected one of their own of stealing a key to commit mail theft.
• 🚗 In Cherry Hill, New Jersey, a missing key led inspectors to a letter carrier's car, where they found mail, passports, and election ballots.
• 💳 A USPS worker in Brooklyn admitted to stealing a key, selling it, and stealing credit cards and checks from her route.

Broader Mail Theft Investigations

• ✉️ The Inspector General opened over 800 investigations into mail theft by postal workers in the region over the past few years, including missing letters, credit cards, and ATM cards.
• 📊 A majority of these cases originated in New York, followed by New Jersey and Connecticut.

USPS Response and Legislative Efforts

• ⚖️ The USPS stated that offenders often lose their jobs and face prosecution.
• 🏛️ Numerous lawmakers have introduced bipartisan legislation to increase protections and punishments for mail theft, but it has not yet passed.
• ⚠️ The USPS acknowledges that some "bad actors" exist within the large organization and emphasizes the need for prosecution.