BUFFALO, N.Y. — A former United States Postal Service (USPS) employee is facing jail time after he failed to deliver over 700 pieces of mail, including three absentee ballots.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers encountered Brandon Wilson, 27, of Buffalo, at the Peace Bridge Port of Entry on November 3, 2020. CBP officers searched Wilson's trunk and found 701 pieces of mail, including three absentee ballots, a USPS employee uniform and a USPS employee identification badge.
In addition to the absentee ballots, some pieces of mail included 218 first class mailings, 106 political mailings, 36 regular nonprofit mailings, 305 regular standard mailings, and 33 magazine/catalogue mailings. The U.S. Attorney's Office says most of the mailings were destined for addresses in the 14215 zip code, with other pieces of mail destined for addresses in zip codes 14227, 14211, and 14214.
The first class mailings had cancellation dates between September 16 and October 26, 2020.
When asked about the mailings in the trunk of his car, Wilson told CBP officers it belonged to him and his mother. When he was confronted with the various destination names and addresses on the mailings, the U.S. Attorney's Office says Wilson admitted he was a USPS postal carrier who kept the pieces of mail after failing to complete his delivery route.
Wilson pleaded guilty Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy to delay or destruction of U.S. mail, which carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. Wilson is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on May 6, 2021.
