Former postal carrier admits to stealing from mail

Columbus OH: A former mail carrier who stole credit cards and blank checks from postal customers and used them to spend nearly $29,000 pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to receiving stolen mail.

Arlie O. Ruff, 67, was tripped up when he used his Kroger Plus card to accumulate fuel points on purchases he made with the stolen credit cards. That’s how investigators eventually tracked him down.

Ruff was indicted in July on one count of receiving stolen mail and one count of credit-card fraud. Under a plea agreement, the fraud charge will be dropped when Ruff is sentenced.

A sentencing date has not been set. He could be sent to prison for five years and fined $250,000.

Ruff stole the credit cards from mail along his Galloway and Far West Side routes — rural routes 9, 4 and 1 — between 2003 and 2009.

Read more: Former postal carrier admits to stealing from mail | The Columbus Dispatch.

Ohio mail carrier suspended; Accused of stealing mail

A Tri-State postal worker was accused of stealing mail from the post office in Harrison, authorities said.

The mail carrier, who investigators were not identifying, was suspended, but has not been officially charged with a crime, post office officials said.

Investigators said hundreds of pieces of mail were stolen.

The postal service said 350 pieces of first class mail were found opened, another 525 pieces of mail found unopened.

Federal authorities said the carrier was likely looking for gift cards, cash, rental movies and video game