Dublin residents have been receiving letters from the United States Postal Service Office of the Inspector General stating that pieces of first-class mail have been recovered as part of a mail theft investigation.
The letters report that the recovered mail has been taken in as evidence for an ongoing investigation and asks for confirmation that the sender “did not authorize an individual employee by the U.S. Postal Service to open or receive your mail.”
Dublin Police Chief Cameron Ray confirmed that they had been contacted about incidents of mail theft reported to the post office and was initially involved in an investigation last year before turning over the investigation to the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Ray said they were contacted in September 2021 by a female in South Texas that a family member in Dublin had mailed a check that was suspected stolen. Ray reported the investigation showed that the $75 check had been processed at a Comerica Bank when the investigation was turned over to Federal investigators.
Issues seem to be widespread, but headway is being made in investigations with federal investigators reporting last week that three North Texas postal workers were indicted for mail theft.
These included: Arthur Lopez for theft of four pieces of mail in Fort Worth in late 2021 that included a check worth over $4,000 and three gift cards; Laura Macleod, a Fort Worth worker, accused of stealing $50 in cash, tea and clothing; and Rainey Pennycuff for the theft of a $20 gift card and $20 in Wichita Falls.
Chief Ray encourages everyone to be proactive to make sure issues are resolved. “If your mail goes missing report it immediately,” Ray said, adding that people should avoid sending cash or gift cards because those can’t be easily traced.