A now former United States Postal Service (USPS) worker has been sentenced after being convicted of stealing mail in Rochester, New York.
On Friday, U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross said 40-year-old Marlene Cruz, who was convicted of theft of mail matter by officer or employee, will serve two years of probation, according to a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York.
“The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine,” the agency noted.
An image shows the suspect, who seems to be handling what appears to be money while sitting in her mail truck:
Marlene Cruz, 40, pleaded guilty to theft of mail by officer or employee. She stole money, gift cards, lottery tickets, & more from the mail.
On 38 separate occasions she went through nearly 90 pieces of mail.
Somehow she’s NOT going to prison!?!https://t.co/V7KBKdKUKL
— Orietta Rose 🇺🇲 (@0riettaRose) May 13, 2024
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, people contacted the USPS in January of 2022 to report that someone had been tampering with their mail in the closing months of 2021.
The press release continued:
Subsequent investigation determined that Cruz, a full-time Mail Carrier, worked the mail route involving the complaints. Further investigation determined that between January 2022, and November 2023, Cruz routinely opened envelopes and parcels, removing items such as ticket stubs, documents, cash, lottery tickets, and gift cards, on dozens of occasions.
In May and November 2023, investigators conducted mail integrity tests, placing greeting cards containing cash and gift cards in the mail to be delivered by Cruz. On November 2, 2023, at the end of her shift, investigators detained Cruz and executed a warrant for her person and personal belongings. During the search, they recovered a gift card from one of the mail integrity test greeting cards inside Cruz’ personal duffle bag.
NEW: Rochester USPS carrier pleads guilty to mail theft. Per the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Marlene Cruz “routinely opened envelopes and parcels, removing items such as ticket stubs, documents, cash, lottery tickets, and gift cards, on dozens of occasions.”
According to the… pic.twitter.com/pD5qWHVh5W
— Jackie Napier (@TheJackieNapier) January 19, 2024
A USPS worker in Ohio admitted to embezzling mail packages that had fentanyl and methamphetamine inside them for significant amounts of money, Breitbart News reported in November 2022.
“The Ohio worker’s guilty plea comes as the state and the nation grapple with the deadly opioid drug crisis,” the article noted.
In October 2022, three USPS workers and one additional person were arrested for allegedly taking part in an over $1 million fraud and identity theft scheme that involved stealing credit cards that were in the mail stream, according to Breitbart News.
“They would then use already stolen personal identification to activate those cards,” the report said.