Melissa Olson, a former postal worker in Randolph, New York, pleaded guilty on March 10 to theft of mail by a postal employee. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo. Olson, age 47, entered her plea before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr., and faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case highlights concerns about the security of mail delivery and the trust placed in postal employees. According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright, Olson was hired by the United States Postal Service in 2023 as a rural carrier associate at the Randolph Post Office.
Wright said that between April and May 2023, Olson opened a stamped first-class mail envelope entrusted to her for delivery and removed a Visa gift card from it. She also admitted to opening other envelopes and rifling through their contents on various dates in 2023, which delayed their delivery.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General under Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Northeast Field Office.
Sentencing for Olson is scheduled for July 9 before Judge Sinatra.
