A former postal carrier for the United States Postal Service (USPS) pleaded guilty on Friday to stealing hundreds of pieces of mail in an episode that may explain part of the delivery issues that prompted a bipartisan response from Virginia’s federal representatives.
Former USPS postal carrier Wendy Lawrence of Richmond, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ), stole hundreds of pieces of mail from “over 180 victims.” She then removed “gift cards, checks, and other items of value” and used the information to engage in other criminal activity.
“After stealing checks from the mail, Lawrence used the bank account and routing information on those checks to initiate electronic payments, which she used for such expenses as her tax bill, pest control bill, and rent,” the DOJ revealed in a press release.
Lawrence, “to prolong and conceal the fraud scheme,” also “initiated a fraudulent address change with the USPS” to begin receiving mail on behalf of one of her victims. Law enforcement also reportedly recovered checks in the name of at least 30 other individuals in Lawrence’s home.
Due to her guilty plea, the DOJ explained that Lawrence faces a maximum of five years in prison, and “sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.”
News of Lawrence’s admission of guilt follows a bipartisan plea to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy from Virginia’s representatives to U.S. Congress on January 30 requesting attention to the USPS failures reportedly experienced by the Richmond Veterans Administration Medical Center.
The letter included the signatures of Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) and Representatives Jennifer McLellan (D-VA-04), Rob Wittman (R-VA-01), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07), Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02) and Bob Good (R-VA-05).
“According to the Richmond VA, the facility recently received a delivery from USPS of some 870 immunochemical test samples, which had been collected by veterans at home and then returned by mail.”
The congressmen explained the tests “are one method used to early-screen for colon cancer, and must be received back by the VA within a roughly two-week window in order to still be valid,” but over half of the samples received by the Richmond VA were more than two weeks old, with some mailed around six months prior to their delivery.
The letter declared, “We want to be clear; this is unacceptable. These issues with postal delays have caused unnecessary stress and harm for our constituents and suggest to us that the issues in the region are worse than we thought.”
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
