A former postal carrier with the U.S. Postal Service in Richmond was sentenced this week to 13 months in prison for theft of mail.
Wendy Lawrence, 40, pled guilty on Feb. 29.
According to court documents, Lawrence allegedly stole mail, removing gift cards, checks and other items of value for her own use.
Lawrence also dumped mail entrusted to her care.
On Oct. 18, 2022, law enforcement recovered stolen mail from Lawrence’s residence belonging to more than 180 victims.
After stealing checks from the mail, Lawrence used the bank account and routing information on those checks to initiate electronic payments, which she used for such expenses as her tax bill, pest control and rent.
On at least one occasion, to prolong and conceal the fraud scheme, Lawrence initiated a fraudulent address change with the USPS on behalf of a victim rerouting the victim’s mail to Lawrence’s address.
Law enforcement also recovered checks from Lawrence’s residence that she forged for her own benefit including checks in the name of at least 30 other individuals.
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Crystal Graham
