Postal worker hits police car trying to flee, then is found with stolen mail, feds say
During a traffic stop gone wrong, sheriff’s deputies in Louisiana found stolen mail in the back of a postal carrier’s personal vehicle, federal officials said.
Randy Brown Jr., a former city carrier, pleaded guilty Dec. 4 to unlawful delay of U.S. mail and three counts of theft of U.S. mail, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana said in a Dec. 13 news release.
McClatchy News reached out to Brown’s attorney Dec. 16 but didn’t immediately receive a response.
Brown began working as a city carrier in Gretna, about a 5-mile drive southeast from New Orleans, in 2015, according to court documents.
In 2022, deputies with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office pulled Brown over, but as deputies approached the vehicle, Brown tried to escape and struck an unmarked JSPO vehicle instead, court documents said.
Deputies searched Brown’s vehicle and found a USPS bin that contained mail, court documents said. Deputies then searched Brown’s house, where they found more mail, documents said.
“JPSO recovered nine white postal bins, two postal carrier bags containing processed mail, a loose stack of mail on a dresser in a bedroom, and one loose check inside a bedroom,” prosecutors said.
Brown stole checks from mail meant for three different people, court records show. The amount of money stolen was not revealed in court documents.
Brown resigned from his position shortly after, court documents said.
In an interview with the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Postal Service, Brown said he started taking mail home in July 2022, and he admitted to knowing it was against USPS policy, according to court records.
Brown faces a maximum of five years in prison with three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, federal officials said. His sentencing is scheduled for March 26.
This story was originally published December 16, 2024 at 6:23 PM with the headline "Postal worker hits police car trying to flee, then is found with stolen mail, feds say."
