An independent contractor who had been transporting mail to and from the Franklinton Post Office has pleaded guilty to federal mail theft charges.
Rachel Watts Sanders, 40, of the Loranger area, had been transporting mail to the Franklinton Post Office and from the Franklinton Post Office to other post offices on a contract basis.
She was not a postal carrier and had not been delivering mail on any Franklinton mail routes.
As part of her May 8 guilty plea, Sanders admitted to stealing more than 40 checks from the mail that she has transporting. She then, according to her guilty plea, forged endorsements on the stolen checks and deposited them into her own personal bank account. The thefts occurred more than two years ago, but the case has been under investigation and judicial proceedings, and on May 8 the guilty plea from Sanders became official.
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Theft of mail is a serious offense for anyone, but for employees or contractors of the U.S. Postal Service it is especially enforced heavily in order to deter potential “inside” thefts.
Thus, Sanders is expected to face strong punishment at her sentencing, which will occur later.
The mail theft and related offenses that she pleaded guilty to can result in a federal prison sentence of up to 20 years, up to 3 years of supervised release when she completes her sentence, and a fine of up to $250,000.
The case was investigated by Inspectors for the United States Postal Service after complaints of missing checks were received. Sanders was prosecuted by the office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Anyone who ever believes that a check they should have received in the mail may have been stolen should immediately contact the United States Postal Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455. If a crime is actually in the process of occurring, call 911. If mail is simply missing and you don’t know that it is stolen, contact your local postmaster in Washington Parish.
