A Corinth woman who worked as a manager at the U.S. Postal Service distribution center in Hampden pleaded guilty Friday in U.S. District Court to stealing drugs from mailed packages intended for veterans in eastern Maine.

Michelle Trask, 46, pleaded guilty at her initial court appearance before Judge John Woodcock Jr. to theft of mail matter, which is punishable by up to five years in prison.

Trask, who was a maintenance manager supervising employees who repaired equipment used to process mail, began intercepting packages in April 2012 sent through a program administered by the Department of Veteran Affairs to veterans, according to court records.

Federal agents caught her on Oct. 13 at the distribution center as she removed several packages from mail bins and brought them back to her office to remove hydrocodone pills inside, according to court records.

In total, Trask was accused of intercepting packages on 13 occasions before getting caught and of stealing more than 1,400 hydrocodone pills.

Former Postal Facility Worker Pleads Guilty to Stealing Pills from Mail Packages