A postal worker accused of rummaging through North Carolina mail since 2019 had 36 envelopes in his car, officials say.
William E. Lundy Sr., 41, could face prison time after he pleaded guilty to theft, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina said Tuesday in a news release.
An attorney for Lundy didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on Wednesday.
Lundy resigned from his job as clerk at the Trenton Post Office after he was accused of taking $1,265 over several months, according to federal prosecutors.
“From June 2019 through January 2020, Lundy rifled through the outgoing and incoming mail and stole mail that contained cash, personal checks and gift cards,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in its news release.
Officials say they found three dozen envelopes in Lundy’s car and identified 32 theft victims.
The former postal worker on Tuesday entered a guilty plea on a charge of theft of mail by a postal employee. He is expected to be sentenced in February’s court term, when he could face up five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, prosecutors say.
Lundy lives in Havelock, near the coast and roughly 100 miles northeast of Wilmington.
Though Lundy was indicted earlier this year, his plea comes as the 2020 election brings renewed focus on the U.S. Postal Service’s possible handling of absentee ballots. In North Carolina, voting by mail is in higher demand this year due to concerns about COVID-19, The News & Observer reported.
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