Postal Employee Embezzlement – 18 U.S.C. § 1711 Sentencing Guidelines

Thanks for visiting Federal Lawyers, a second-generation firm managed by our lead attorney with over 40 years of combined experience. Section 1711 targets embezzlement by postal employees—mail carriers, clerks, postmasters, and anyone employed by USPS who steals mail or packages they’re supposed to deliver. Maximum sentence: 5 years imprisonment. The statute reflects heightened culpability when postal workers betray the trust inherent in their positions, using access granted through employment to steal from the public they serve.

The Postal Service employs over 600,000 workers nationwide. Most are honest, dedicated public servants. But the few who steal create massive problems because they have systematic access to mail in ways ordinary thieves don’t. A mail carrier who decides to steal can target every house on their route. A postal clerk processing packages can identify high-value shipments. That insider access makes postal employee theft more dangerous than random mail theft by outsiders.

How Postal Employees Get Caught

USPS uses extensive surveillance and tracking systems to detect theft. GPS tracking on mail trucks shows where carriers deviate from routes. Package scanning at multiple checkpoints reveals when items disappear between facilities. Customer complaints trigger investigations using bait packages containing tracking devices. The Postal Service investigates employee theft aggressively because protecting mail integrity is central to their mission.

Once suspected, employees face covert investigation before being confronted. Postal Inspectors place tracking devices in packages given to suspected employees, use undercover operatives to conduct test buys of stolen goods, and conduct surveillance following workers after their shifts end. By the time employees are questioned, investigators have substantial evidence from weeks or months of monitoring.

That investigative approach creates pressure for confessions. When confronted with surveillance footage showing them taking packages or GPS data proving route deviations, employees usually confess immediately. Those confessions become evidence prosecutors use at trial if defendants later recant, making it difficult to challenge guilt after confessing during initial confrontation.

The Plea Trap

Postal employees charged under Section 1711 face immediate termination and criminal prosecution. They lose jobs providing middle-class income and federal benefits. Most have families depending on that income. Prosecutors offer plea bargains: plead guilty to one count, receive probation or minimal jail time, pay restitution. Go to trial, risk conviction on multiple counts and face federal prison.

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The economic pressure is immense. Employees without income can’t afford private attorneys. Appointed counsel, however competent, lacks resources for expert witnesses or extensive investigation. The plea offer looks reasonable compared to trial risk. But accepting guilt for federal felony means permanent unemployability in positions requiring trust, loss of pension benefits, and federal conviction following them for life.

Legal Scenario: What Would You Do?

Scenario

A USPS mail carrier has been sorting packages on their route and setting aside small, valuable-looking parcels in their personal bag for the past three months. A coworker noticed the pattern and reported it, and now postal inspectors have shown up at the carrier's home with a search warrant.

I've been charged under 18 U.S.C. § 1711 for taking packages on my mail route—what kind of sentence am I actually facing?

Attorney's Answer

Under 18 U.S.C. § 1711, postal employee embezzlement carries a maximum sentence of 5 years imprisonment, but your actual sentence will depend heavily on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, particularly the total value of the stolen mail and packages. The Guidelines use a loss table under §2B1.1 that increases your offense level based on the aggregate value of what was taken, and a pattern of theft over several months will likely trigger a sentencing enhancement for more than minimal planning. However, if this is your first offense and the total loss amount is relatively low, we may be able to negotiate for probation or a significantly reduced sentence, especially if you cooperate with the Postal Inspection Service and agree to full restitution. We should also examine whether any of the evidence obtained through the search warrant can be challenged, as suppressing key evidence could strengthen your position considerably.

This is general information only. Contact us for advice specific to your situation.

Some postal employees who pled guilty actually had defenses—they mistakenly delivered packages to wrong addresses rather than stealing them, they took damaged packages planning to deliver them later but forgot, they removed packages from trucks to prevent theft by others. Under investigation pressure and without effective counsel, they confessed to theft that wasn’t intentional. Years later they regret not fighting charges.

Sentencing: Position of Trust Enhancement