LOS ANGELES – (INT) – The mail theft epidemic sweeping Southern California now involves the Postal Service (USPS) itself.

Thirty-three individuals, mostly Postal Service employees, have been charged with stealing mail, embezzling from the agency or, in one case, failing to deliver nearly 50,000 pieces of mail.

Federal indictments were returned in Los Angeles.

In one high profile case, the former local area president of the Mail Handlers Union was charged with conspiracy and possession of stolen mail. Jarol Garcia, 33, of Hemet, who formerly worked at the Moreno Valley Delivery Distribution Center as a mail handler, stole mobile phones from parcels going through the center and traded the phones after offering them for exchange on a website, according to an indictment. It also alleges that Garcia, in December 2015, possessed at least 166 mobile phones stolen from the mail.

Other Inland Empire defendants:
· Michael Smith, 43, of Lake Elsinore, was charged with mail theft by a postal employee for allegedly stealing money orders from a mail envelope
· Justin Brewster, 25, of Lake Elsinore, a USPS mail processing clerk, was charged with mail theft by a postal employee for allegedly stealing video games that were mailed to or from Gamefly
· Lisa Thornberry, 31, of Rancho Cucamonga, and Ian McCown, 34, of Alta Loma, were charged with conspiring with each other to steal mail and possessing stolen mail
· Victoria Uribe, 48, of Rancho Cucamonga, a former USPS sales associate, was charged with making a false entry in an official record related to her alleged embezzlement of funds from USPS
· Monica Cavalier, 40, of Victorville, a former sales associate, was charged with making a false entry in an official record related to the sale of stamps related to her alleged embezzlement of funds from USPS
· Raymond Coffin, 24, of Adelanto, a mail carrier, was charged with bank fraud for allegedly misusing a USPS-issued gas card

US Attorney Eileen M. Decker said “Mail theft across Southern California has increased recently, which is significant since this type of crime tends to be a precursor to other crimes like identity theft and drug offenses. As a result, we are stepping up enforcement activities, including dealing aggressively with corruption within the Postal Service.”

Story Date: August 30, 2016