An Allegan Count postal worker is accused of throwing away mail after he quit his job, federal authorities say.

February 2, 2015 – ALLEGAN COUNTY, MI – A U.S. Postal Service worker is facing a federal charge after he allegedly tossed out the mail after quitting his job.

James T. Harris is accused of dumping 412 articles of mail into a trash can at a gas station in Allegan County, according to records filed in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids.

The alleged crime occurred Dec. 2, 2013, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Fauson wrote in court papers. Read more

Harris is accused of a misdemeanor.

(WZZM) – Throwing away bags of letters got actor Wayne Knight lots of laughs as the portly postal worker on the sitcom Seinfeld.

But similar behavior by an Allegan County postal worker has federal officials less than amused.

Postal officials say mail dumping and hoarding is rare, but when it occurs, it oftentimes grabs headlines. That was the case in September, when thousands of letters and packages were found in a postal worker’s New York apartment – some more than a decade old.

A search of his car, home and work locker turned up 1½ tons of undelivered mail dating back nine years.

In 2009, a carrier in the Livingston County community of Howell was charged with keeping thousands of pieces of unopened mail at a storage facility. She told postal inspectors she was unable to deliver the mail.

The woman was sentenced to two years’ probation and ordered to pay a $25 assessment fee.