Latest news with #JuliaMarnin
Miami Herald
06-05-2025
- Miami Herald
AirPods stolen from mail are tracked to USPS worker's Louisiana home, feds say
National AirPods stolen from mail are tracked to USPS worker's Louisiana home, feds say A former U.S. Postal Service employee was sentenced on a mail theft charge, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Jason Hawke via Unsplash A customer's new AirPods were missing from a package that had been clearly 'opened and resealed,' leading them to believe the devices were stolen, according to federal court filings. With the help of tracking technology, the AirPod Pros were found at a U.S. Postal Service employee's home in New Orleans, where she worked at a mail processing and distribution center, court documents say. The now-former postal worker, Sonia Miller, was caught on camera opening and stealing mail from at least seven packages at her workplace between January 2023 and April 2023, according to court documents. The investigation that began with the customer reporting their AirPods as stolen resulted in Miller pleading guilty to theft of U.S. mail by a postal employee, a federal charge, according to prosecutors. Now, a federal judge has sentenced Miller to three years of probation, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana said in a May 5 news release. She avoided a possible prison sentence, as the charge of mail theft by a postal employee can lead to a potential consequence of up to five years in prison. Miller's defense attorneys didn't immediately return McClatchy News' request for comment May 6. Before the stolen AirPods were reported missing in January 2023, an investigation revealed the package that was supposed to include the devices had been scanned at the New Orleans mail facility, where Miller worked, days earlier, according to court documents. Then, surveillance footage from January to April 2023 showed Miller rifling through a variety of parcels on multiple occasions and pocketing at least one mailed item in her bag, prosecutors wrote in filings. The USPS Office of the Inspector General investigated Miller, who's due back in court for a restitution hearing scheduled for July 24, court records show. More on mail theft During the early COVID-19 pandemic, there was a sharp increase in mail theft complaints, according to a September 2023 report issued by the U.S. Postal Service's Office of Inspector General. From March 2020 through February 2021, there were 299,020 mail theft complaints — a 161% increase 'compared to the same period in the previous year,' the report said. Suspected mail theft can be reported to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service online or by calling 1-877-876-2455. Julia Marnin McClatchy DC Go to X Email this person Julia Marnin covers courts for McClatchy News, writing about criminal and civil affairs, including cases involving policing, corrections, civil liberties, fraud, and abuses of power. As a reporter on McClatchy's National Real-Time Team, she's also covered the COVID-19 pandemic and a variety of other topics since joining in 2021, following a fellowship with Newsweek. Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, she was raised in South Jersey and is now based in New York State.
Miami Herald
06-05-2025
- Miami Herald
Town official shoots lost DoorDash driver as he tries to drive away, NY cops say
National Town official shoots lost DoorDash driver as he tries to drive away, NY cops say A public official for a New York town is accused of shooting a DoorDash delivery driver who state police said had gotten lost. Marques Thomas via Unsplash A town's highway superintendent warned a man trying to deliver a DoorDash order to 'get off his property,' then shot him in the back as he went to drive away, New York state police said. The DoorDash driver, who was lost, arrived at a hospital with 'serious' injuries from the gunshot, one of several John J. Reilly III fired at him at his home in the Town of Chester the evening of May 2, according to a New York State Police news release. Reilly, the town's highway official, was arrested May 3 on charges of first-degree assault, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm, state police said. The town is about a 65-mile drive northwest from New York City. Attorney information for him wasn't immediately available. New York State Police Capt. Joseph Kolek, in a statement to WABC-TV, said 'there's nothing to indicate the victim had any nefarious intentions, he's just out there doing his job, trying to make a food delivery.' Before the shooting, the man was trying to find the home of a DoorDash customer who lived in a Chester neighborhood, according to authorities. But he couldn't locate the residence. He 'became lost and unable to navigate using the (DoorDash) app,' state police said. The man visited several nearby homes for help, asking for directions, until he went to Reilly's house where Reilly repeatedly shot at the driver shortly after encountering him, according to authorities. 'We are deeply troubled by what has been reported so far,' Chester Town Supervisor Brandon Holdridge told The Times Union newspaper. 'We hope the person who was injured in the incident makes a full and healthy recovery.' The town doesn't have authority over Reilly's job because he was elected to the local government position, Holdridge told the outlet. Reilly appeared in court for an arraignment and was detained at the Orange County Jail on a $250,000 cash bond, a $500,000 bond or a $750,000 partially secured bond, according to state police. He's due for a preliminary hearing in the Town of Chester Court the morning of May 9, state police said. 'No one should ever fear for their safety just for trying to make deliveries in their neighborhood,' a DoorDash spokesperson said in a statement to McClatchy News. 'We're devastated by this senseless act of violence, and we're wishing the Dasher a full and speedy recovery.' DoorDash is working with authorities in their investigation of the shooting, the spokesperson added. The town didn't immediately return McClatchy News' request for comment May 6. Julia Marnin McClatchy DC Go to X Email this person Julia Marnin covers courts for McClatchy News, writing about criminal and civil affairs, including cases involving policing, corrections, civil liberties, fraud, and abuses of power. As a reporter on McClatchy's National Real-Time Team, she's also covered the COVID-19 pandemic and a variety of other topics since joining in 2021, following a fellowship with Newsweek. Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, she was raised in South Jersey and is now based in New York State.
