Former Postal Service employee pleads guilty to stealing $5,000 in cash, gift cards from mail

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis man has been sentenced after he stole around $5,000 in money and gift cards while working as an employee at the United States Postal Service.

According to a news release from the Indianapolis division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana, 29-year-old Justin Crain pleaded guilty to mail theft by a U.S. Postal Service employee.

Crain was sentenced to 180 days of home detention, followed by three years of probation. The release said that Crain will also serve 40 hours of community service and pay a $5,000 fine.

The release said that Crain was a mail processing clerk at a Postal Service processing and distribution center in Indianapolis. An investigation began after the Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General identified several mail items that passed through the center and had been open before they were delivered.

Officials said Crain was seen on camera rifling through mail attempting to find cash. Crain admitted to stealing around $5,000 in money and gift cards over a few months.

“The vast majority of postal employees are dedicated to their important mission and serve the public admirably, delivering people’s private, important, and sensitive items,” Zachary A. Myers, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, said in the release. “The defendant was sworn and entrusted to protect the public’s mail and instead abused his position to steal gifts meant to celebrate birthdays, holidays, and special events. Public service is a public trust, and government employees who use their positions to steal from the public will be identified and held accountable.”

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