BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that in separate and unrelated cases, Amanda Elliott, 35, of Ellington, N.Y., and Tamara Elliott, 30, of Falconer, N.Y., pleaded guilty to misappropriation of postal service funds by postal service employee before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leslie G. Foschio. The charge carries a maximum sentence 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell T. Ippolito, Jr., who is handling the case, stated that Amanda Elliott was the Postmaster Relief at the post office located in Lily Dale, N.Y. between December 2012 and September 5, 2013. During that time, the defendant accepted cash payments from customers for the purchase of postage stamps. Instead of depositing the cash in the cash register, Elliott kept the cash for personal use. The total loss to the USPS was $5,579.48.
In the second case, Tamara Elliott was the Postmaster Relief at the post office located in Ellington, N.Y. Between December 2012 and September 5, 2013, Tamara Elliott accepted cash payments from customers for the purchase of postage stamps. Instead of depositing the cash in the cash register, the defendant kept the cash for her own purposes. Tamara Elliott also rented post office boxes and sold money orders to customers and kept the cash payments. The total loss to the USPS was $11,326.86.
The pleas are the culmination of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, Eastern Area Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Monica Weyler.
The defendants will be sentenced by the Chief U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny at a later date
What about all the union thugs that steal millions daily in time alone?
Nice to see some of the little fish getting caught, but what about the big time crooks who steal millions if not billions with deliberately underpricing bulk mail and pocketing the payoff from the mailers? Don’t tell me it doesn’t happen. If there is an opportunity to help themselves to unearned money, the temptation is too great. Plus, the USPS is notorious for burying everything in mountains of useless paperwork and shifting numbers around faster than a drug dealer can open an account in the Grand Caymans.
It’s just like anything else in the criminal world. Low ranking members get the shaft and take the heat while the big bosses pay off anybody and everybody who might get in their way. Upper level management at the USPS, I suspect, is no exception.
for whatever reason the santity of the mail is directly proportional to the quality of workers in the p.o. a career employee has more to lose than a pmr who only makes about half the wage as those they manage. Pay for quality workers and reap the benefits. honesty and trust seem to be directly proportional to wages and benefits received for the job at hand, not necessarily right but very predictable