Illinois postal worker gets 32 months in prison, $15K fine for mail theft spree

GRANITE CITY, Ill. — A judge sentenced a Granite City postal worker to federal prison after she admitted to stealing credit cards from customers along her route and racking up charges on them.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois, 32-year-old Lakeatra White of Granite City pleaded guilty back in September to one count of theft of mail by a postal employee, one count of access device fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

A southern Illinois district judge sentenced White to 32 months in federal prison with three years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay about $15,210 in restitution.

According to court documents, White was working as a city carrier assistance at the Granite City Post Office when she stole several pieces of mail containing gift cards, credit cards and credit card information. On credit cards stolen from two victims, she tried to make nearly $27,000 in personal charges.

The U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General led the investigation. During which, White turned in over 115 pieces of stolen mail, according to court documents.

“Mail carriers are entrusted public servants, and postal workers who steal from their customers choose to break that trust,” U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe said in a statement. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to partner with the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General to hold employees committing fraud accountable.”