A former Indianapolis postal worker has been handed a sentence of home detention after a guilty plea was entered on charges of stealing from the mail, a transgression that was originally brought to light through reports of opened mail and subsequently confirmed by video surveillance.
Justin Crain, 29, a mail processing clerk at the U.S.P.S. Indianapolis Processing and Distribution Center, has been sentenced to 180 days of home detention and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine, according to a report by WTHR from the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Indiana. Crain was also sentenced to three years of probation and must complete 40 hours of community service following his conviction on felony mail theft charges.
The series of thefts perpetrated by Crain came to official attention after numerous complaints were lodged regarding mail, particularly greeting cards, that were delivered opened, as detailed by the U.S. Postal Service's Office of Inspector General; investigators examining the cases discovered the local processing center as a common point in the path of the tampered mail, a revelation leading to review of surveillance footage, which showed Crain engaged in the act of removing gift cards and cash from these items.
During a two-hour video review, Crain was observed multiples times and the duration and frequency of these instances were such that he was found to have purloined approximately $5,000 over a span of several months according to statements from both Tampa FP and the Department of Justice; "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," said Zachary A. Myers,
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, "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," WISH-TV reported.
