Postmaster defrauds USPS of nearly $900K in embezzlement and bribery scheme, feds say
A postmaster in Connecticut has pleaded guilty to what federal officials are calling a “bribery, kickback and embezzlement scheme” that defrauded the United States Postal Service of nearly $900,000.
He was the postmaster of the Danbury Post Office when the scheme began, according to an Oct. 16 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Connecticut.
The 20-year USPS employee pleaded guilty to one count of honest services wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, according to the plea agreement filed Oct. 13.
McClatchy News could not immediately reach the man’s lawyer for comment.
Years of luxury rentals
In 2022, the man solicited $90,000 of bribes from a vendor in exchange for overpaying the vendor for vehicle repair and maintenance work with the post office, officials said.
The first bribe he called a “raise” to the vendor, according to officials. He said the second bribe was for his child’s college tuition.
He agreed to use this vendor despite having a contract with another vendor, officials said.
As part of the deal, he began overpaying the vendor more and more, records show. In total, he overpaid the vendor nearly $785,000, investigators said in the plea agreement.
The postmaster is also accused of using USPS credit cards to rent luxury vehicles for personal use, officials said. From December 2019 to February 2023, he spent about $82,000 in rental expenses for himself and others.
Investigators said among of the rentals were an Audi Q7, Jaguar F-Pace, Land Rover Range Rover, Cadillac Escalade, Maserati Levante and BMW X7. Some vehicles he rented for over a year, others for one or two days at a time.
In order to cover these and other expenses, he asked for an increase to his swipes and spending limits on his company card, officials said.
Investigators said he also reimbursed a coworker $8,500 for “fraudulent” travel claims and made the vendor provide free vehicle services to his child and other employees.
‘The 90 is off the books’
When federal agents began investigating the postmaster and those around him, he denied receiving kickbacks and using the credit card to rent cars, among other charges.
He told the manager of the vendor, according to the plea agreement, that if federal agents were asking questions, it was because they didn’t know what had happened.
“If they if they already know, let’s put it this way: if they know what we do, they’re not going to come knocking and asking questions,” the postmaster told the manager. “They already handcuffed me and they handcuffed you. So now they’re just digging.”
He also told the manager there was “no paper trail whatsoever” related to the $90,000 bribe, the plea agreement says. Federal officials said he “coached” the vendor’s manager to deny anything about the bribes and instead wanted to direct agents’ attention to the invoices.
“The 90 is off the books,” he told the manager, according to the plea agreement.
The 50-year-old former federal worker, who is currently released on bond and residing in Quincy, Massachusetts, will be sentenced in January, officials said in the release.
He will also have to pay $875,000 in restitution.
“The public must have confidence that Postal Service employees will conduct their work in an honest manner,” said Kenneth Cleevely, special agent in charge of the USPS Office of Inspector General. “When employees commit serious offenses, such as taking bribes, they will be aggressively investigated and prosecuted.”
This story was originally published October 18, 2023 at 2:02 PM with the headline "Postmaster defrauds USPS of nearly $900K in embezzlement and bribery scheme, feds say."