BUFFALO, N.Y. — A Sanborn postal worker has admitted to failing to deliver 1,300 pieces of mail that was later found in a wooded area off Pletcher Rd. in Youngstown.
Sean Barrett, 30, worked out of the Lewiston Post Office and was assigned to deliver mail in Youngstown and Lewiston.
The incident happened on October 13, 2020.
Investigators say Lewiston Police notified the USPS Office of Inspector General that USPS mail pieces were discovered by witnesses next to a trail in a wooded area off of Pletcher Road in Youngstown.
Three mail bins and two garbage bags containing 1,314 mailings were located. Those mailings included first class, certified and standard mailings, as well as 15 political mailings and one blank election ballot.
Officials say the the mail was destined for addresses on a mail route assigned to Barrett. USPS records state that Barrett's assigned USPS scanner was dormant on October 13, 2020, between 12:20 p.m. and 3:54 p.m. in the area where the mail pieces were located.
Barrett was interviewed on October 20 and admitted to discarding the mail and newspapers instead of delivering them.
He pleaded guilty to delay or destruction of mail and faces a maximum of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine when sentenced in April.
Last month, another USPS employee in the City of Buffalo admitted to not delivering mail to its intended location.
Investigators say U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered Brandon Wilson at the Peace Bridge Port of Entry in Buffalo in November 2020.
As part of a vehicle sweep, Wilson opened the trunk of his vehicle for officers. According to the criminal complaint, inside the trunk of Wilson's vehicle was a USPS mail bin containing numerous pieces of mail. The cancellation dates on the mail showed seven dates between September 16 and October 26, 2020.