Article published May 24, 2007
Post office employee took gifts from mail
Carrier pleads guilty to stealing cards
By ERICA BLAKE
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Federal officials said Enrique Rodriguez was supposed to deliver the letters given to him each morning by the U.S. Postal Service, but instead the rookie letter carrier admitted that he rifled through some of the mail entrusted to him and helped himself to the gift cards he found inside.
Rodriguez, 36, of Lima, Ohio, pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court in Toledo to one count of theft of mail by an employee.
He was one of two postal workers recently charged in federal court in unrelated incidents with stealing gift cards and cash from letters.
Rodriguez, who has worked at the Lima's Main Post Office since June, 2006, faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced by Judge David Katz. A sentencing date was not set.
His attorney, Donna Grill, could not be reached for comment.
U.S. Attorney David Bauer said postal inspectors started investigating Rodriguez after a customer complaint was filed saying that two greeting cards containing $20 in Applebee's gift certificates were never received.The ensuing investigation revealed that between Jan. 1 and March 5 Rodriguez was removing items from the mail that he was supposed to be delivering.
Postal inspectors were able to identify $925 in losses, including some gift cards that already were used, Mr. Bauer said.
"In this particular case, the customer checked with Applebee's and determined that both [gift cards] had been negotiated," he said. "The postal inspectors got involved and they were able to determine that the receipts were signed by Mr. Rodriguez."
Just days after the information on Rodriguez was filed in U.S. District Court, similar charges were brought against a letter carrier working at the Reynolds Corners Post Office in Toledo.
Crystal Flores, 22, of Perrysburg was charged May 18 with theft of mail by an employee.
Mr. Bauer said that the charges were unrelated and the fact that they were filed only two days apart was a coincidence.
He added that his office handles about four or five cases of postal theft by employees every year.
Ms. Flores, who also has been a letter carrier since June, 2006, is accused of taking gift cards and cash from letters between Feb. 5 and March 21. A court date has not yet been set.
Both Rodriguez and Ms. Flores have been fired from the U.S. Postal Service, Mr. Bauer said.
He added that postal customers should protect their mail by sending only gift cards, not cash, and by keeping a copy of their receipts.
"They should be aware of the fact that the postal service and our office takes this very seriously. When we identify employees that have stolen, we will prosecute," he said.
Both Mr. Bauer and Craig Cummings, customer relations coordinator for the U.S. Postal Service in Toledo, said that although some employees are caught being dishonest, most do their jobs professionally and honestly.
"Our employment mirrors society," Mr. Cummings said.
"We have over 700,000 employees nationally. In cases like this, they should be punished."
Mr. Cummings added that part of the money people pay in postage rates is to fund inspectors to keep mail safe.
"Our system is secure," he said. "That's what postage rates are used for."
Contact Erica Blake at:
eblake@theblade.com
or 419-213-2134.
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