Latest news with #PostalInspectionService
CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
Mail carrier injured during attempted armed robbery in Bridgeville
A mail carrier was injured Wednesday during an attempted armed robbery that took place in Bridgeville. A spokesperson for the United States Postal Inspection Service says the attempted armed robbery took place along McLaughlin Run Road in Bridgeville around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. The mail carrier was injured during the incident and was taken for treatment at a nearby hospital, the spokesperson said. The condition of the injured mail carrier wasn't released by the Postal Inspectors. "The safety of USPS employees is one of the top priorities for the inspection service," the spokesperson said. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is leading the investigation into the incident. Police officers from Bridgeville and Upper St. Clair also responded to the scene of the incident. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at 877-876-2455.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Whistleblower says post office police are benched as mail theft surges
ST. LOUIS – The U.S. Postal Service is under fire for allegedly sidelining its own police force amid a national mail theft crisis. FOX 2's recent investigation into a growing check-washing scam spurred a tip from the national president of the Postal Police Officer's Association. 'The postal service has a police force it won't use. It's amazing,' Frank Albergo told FOX 2. Albergo is also a postal police officer, but he spoke to FOX 2 in his capacity as association president. 'We are confined to postal property right now—during a mail theft epidemic—and make no mistake, there is a postal crime wave happening,' Albergo said. He saw our Fox Files report on the mail scam that's costing residents millions. We demonstrated how easy it is for criminals to wash a check and write it out to whatever they want. Our report led to a flood of viewers claiming they were also scammed—and Albergo claiming there's a reason for it. 'Criminals are infiltrating the postal service to steal mail,' Albergo said, adding, 'They work at the postal service as a temporary employee for a few months and their sole mission is to steal mail. I mean, they're working for gangs. The postal service is under attack.' Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now The Postal Inspection Service declined an on-camera interview but a field rep sent us a statement that said in part, '…removing those officers from postal service property, where a significant concentration of employees and mail exists, would put at risk not only postal facilities, but the large concentration of employees and customers who use those facilities every day.' FOX 2 has more from association president Albergo and his insider concerns in an extended report on our new smart tv app — download FOX 2 STL Plus from the app store. Here is the Postal Inspection Service's full statement: 'Various public statements made by the Postal Police Officers Association supporting the claim that the Postal Service is actively preventing the utilization of a uniformed federal police force are legally and factually incorrect. Postal Police officers (PPOs) are assigned to specific facilities because the Postal Inspection Service has determined that these facilities require a high level of security that can be provided by the presence of uniformed, trained, and armed officers. At key facilities in 20 major metropolitan areas, PPOs are deployed to provide security, enforce order, respond to medical emergencies, and act as a deterrent to criminals or employees who may wish to compromise the mailstream or potentially harm the people inside. These postal facilities are the workplaces of thousands of postal employees, and they process millions of pieces of mail and packages every day. Removing those officers from Postal Service property, where a significant concentration of employees and mail exists, would put at risk not only postal facilities, but the large concentration of employees and customers who use those facilities every day. Additionally, there have been questions regarding the jurisdictional authority of PPOs. Contrary to the assertions made, neither any court nor arbitrator has contested the Postal Service's interpretation that the law enforcement authority of PPOs is confined to the protection of Postal Service real property. This conclusion has remained unchallenged. In fact, in 2020, a federal court affirmed, in response to opposing claims, that the Postal Service's determination of PPOs' jurisdiction was a reasonable interpretation of the law. And, even if the law permitted PPOs to exercise jurisdiction beyond the boundaries of the Postal Service's property, relocating these officers from Postal Service property, as suggested by some, would not only jeopardize the security of the postal facilities but also pose a risk to the employees and customers who utilize these facilities daily. Eight people injured in north St. Louis crash The Postal Inspection Service utilizes postal inspectors, along with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, to investigate and prevent postal-related crimes both on and off Postal Service property. Postal inspectors and PPOs are different positions within the Postal Inspection Service, with differing statutory authority. While both are essential to keeping employees, customers, and the mailstream safe – their roles and responsibilities are vastly different. While PPOs protect postal employees and customers at postal facilities, postal inspectors work diligently to ensure the integrity of the mailstream and combat postal-related crimes nationwide, especially robberies of letter carriers. The Postmaster General and the Chief Postal Inspector have taken significant action to counter mail crimes—including the launch of Project Safe Delivery in May 2023. The program's proactive approach has led to a significant decrease in robbery and mail theft incidents. The program's robust measures have led to hundreds of arrests for Postal robberies and mail theft. For instance, the number of robberies has decreased 27% Fy 2023 to Fy 2024. Additional information on Project Safe Delivery can be found at Project Safe Delivery – United States Postal Inspection Service ( Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
15-04-2025
- CBS News
Michigan man sentenced to 30 years for using postal service to mail cocaine
A Michigan man will spend more than 30 years in prison for reportedly using the U.S. Postal Service to traffic cocaine from Texas to Michigan. Srecko Darnell Walker, 35, of Muskegon, was sentenced to 32 years in prison. Walker was convicted in a federal trial on charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, distribution of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine in November 2024. According to federal prosecutors, between 2021 and 2022, Walker worked with Steven Rasic, a Muskegon-based U.S. Postal Service mail carrier, to traffic cocaine into Michigan from Hugo Benavides, a Texas-based cocaine supplier. Walker is accused of coordinating the shipments and having them sent to vacant addresses on Rasic's mail route. Law enforcement officers seized five kilograms of cocaine from the mail that Walker and his co-conspirators allegedly intended to sell in West Michigan. In March 2022, investigators seized an additional two kilograms of cocaine. After the package was seized, prosecutors say Rasic attempted to recover the parcel and falsely claimed he was acting on behalf of the U.S. Postal Service. Prosecutors say Rasic texted Walker to notify him of the cocaine being seized. In October 2022, investigators reportedly saw Walker sell cocaine to a woman in Muskegon and found cocaine, a cutting agent and a digital scale in Walker's home. After a search of his home, prosecutors say Walker admitted to importing cocaine through the mail and tracking some of the mail that contained cocaine, including one piece of mail that had more than one kilogram of cocaine inside. "As the law enforcement arm of the U.S. Postal Service, the Postal Inspection Service prioritizes the safety and security of postal employees and customers above all else," said Detroit Division Acting Inspector in Charge Sean McStravick. "Let the severity of this sentence be a warning to those who abuse the nation's mail system to transport narcotics and other dangerous or illegal substances: We will find you, we will arrest you, and we will seek to prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law." The United States Postal Inspection Service, the United States Postal Service Office of the Inspector General, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Michigan State Police West Michigan Enforcement Team investigated the case. Rasic and Benavides pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge before trial and were sentenced separately.
