Posted on 09/16/2018 6:45:50 AM PDT by Simon Green
Under a plea deal, a U.S. postal worker admitted to stealing more than 6,000 greeting cards filled with cash and checks in Wauwatosa.
As part of the deal, Ebony Lavonne Smith, 20, of Milwaukee pleaded guilty to theft or receipt of stolen mail on Sept.12 and will be sentenced at a later date.
Last summer, Wauwatosa residents complained to the U.S. Postal Service that they were not receiving graduation, wedding, birthday and sympathy cards in the ZIP codes of 53213 and 53226.
Smith, who was identified as the mail carrier in those areas, had started working on March 23, 2015, and on March 28, 2017, was assigned to deliver mail in Wauwatosa, according to court records.
Online court documents explain how Smith was caught.
On Jan. 25, a letter containing a test greeting card and a $20 bill was prepared for delivery in the Wauwatosa area. Inside the envelope was a transmitter that signaled when it was opened.
On this same date,the envelope was placed in a container earmarked for Smith's delivery route.
While under surveillance, a USPS supervisor first observed Smith rifling through trays assigned to other delivery routes. Smith removed greeting cards, placing them in her tray. Shortly thereafter, Smith picked up the mail for her delivery route, including the blue test envelope, and brought it to her assigned postal vehicle.
Smith began delivering the mail and when she arrived at the address of the test greeting card, the transmitter activated, signaling that the envelope had been opened. At this time, postal agents approached Smith, who was standing outside of her car.
The agent located the opened envelope, which no longer contained the $20 bill.
(Excerpt) Read more at jsonline.com ...
20 years old and 4 kids. I see the first problem right there. What a crook.
Typical,jepordize a good paying do nothing with benefits job for a few xtra bucks.
Now she got nothing but a record, and McD’s wont touch her,But its whiteys fault
20 years old with four children.
This takes the ‘gibsmedat’ to another level.
No picture in article..
Hmmmm...”ebony ?”
And had a 2 year job at the Post Office?
Talk about affirmative action.
20 YO with four kids?! How the heck did she get a gig with the PO? And did they run a backround check, because I’d be willing to bet this isn’t her first run-in with the law...
And where the heck is/are the father/s? She should be collecting child support. And who’s going to take care of those kids now?
I must admit, I have always worried about putting money and gift cards in greeting cards. This does not make me feel any better. I had a friend from Yugoslavia (a long time ago) who used to send cash to her relatives and sometimes it didn’t arrive. Ah well, Government employees can do anything they want and are rarely punished, I guess. THIS TIME one was caught. Hope it happens 1,000 fold. (Getting caught, I mean)
Exactly why one should NOT send Cash.
Now the question is who helped the thieving bitch cash the checks.
They BOTH need to be in Jail for check cashing fraud. FELONY because of the Total Amounts involved.
In My experience with the usps I could send a box of common rocks to Siberia via 3rd class and it would be there the next day it if I send something important 1st class down the street they will lose it.
But we can’t separate her from her kids. Think of the children.
They only got caught after one of them retired, and the other one thought she could sneak her activity past his replacement. She was wrong. About 2 weeks before it hit the fan. the replacement guy pulled me aside and said, "Word to the wise...do everything by the book for a while. We're all being watched. Can't give you details."
Shortly thereafter, the Postal Inspectors busted them. The guy copped a plea deal and got probation, he was able to pay it back in full (he'd invested the money). She wasn't able to do so, and served a couple of years.
I wonder if she was an equal opportunity theif, or just stole from the “privileged”.
One wonders how such a miscreant was hired in the first place. This is a serious crime, not just the monetary aspect, but in the trust department.
Keep in mind there is a very, very low “signal to noise ratio” so to speak, in the quality of the mail delivered these days. The overwhelming majority is simply junk mail advertising and spam, and the ultimate delivery is straight into the garbage can. Few invoices or bills are mailed anymore. One of the very few bright spots is Christmas cards, Birthday cards, etc. And here comes a crooked letter carrier to cherry pick the less than 1% of letters that people actually want. The people that send them are justifiably outraged, and cannot trust the post office. Carriers with seniority and who get lots of overtime can make close to $100,000 a year, plus 30 days paid vacation, paid federal holidays, gold plated medical and dental insurance, a retirement program - and she took it upon herself to steal Birthday cards containing cash.
Finally, she will get a pass on account of being a “protected class” - minority female etc. Several hours probation, at least. Total BS.
Hired 2015. Three years.
Yet another typical government “worker”. They steal from you...one way or another.
She committed multiple crimes. In addition to the theft itself, tapering with mail is a felony. She’s going to do a good amount of time in prison.
Destroying 30,000 classified emails, meh...
Ebony Lavonne Smith—sounds Amish.
This letter carrier delivered to my house. I’m wondering now what my kids didn’t get from grandma
20 years old and already with 4 kids - bet she was driving a Lexus ….
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