PHOENIX – Dawn Corbally Staszak, 48, of Flagstaff, Ariz., was found guilty of two counts of Possession of Stolen Mail by a federal jury in Phoenix. The case was tried before U.S. District Judge Neil V. Wake on March 13-14, 2012. Staszak remains released from custody after trial. Sentencing is set before Judge Wake on June 25, 2012. Acting United States Attorney, Ann Birmingham Scheel noted that “the sanctity and security of the mail is a public trust vested in each Postal Service employee. They are sworn to preserve and protect the mail in their custody at all times. The Postal Service holds its employees to the highest standard of honesty and integrity. The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to ensuring that the public’s trust in the Postal Service is upheld, and the prosecution of Postal employees who violate that trust by committing crimes involving the mail is a high priority.” U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Nichole Cooper, Western Area Field Office said, “This type of behavior is contrary to the fine history and traditions of the U.S. Postal Service. For more than 200 years employees of the U.S Postal Service have safeguarded the public’s mail. Thankfully, this type of event does not occur frequently; but when it does, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and the United States Attorney’s Office will aggressively pursue and ensure accountability for such behavior.” The evidence at trial showed that Staszak, during the performance of her duties, utilized her position as a postal carrier to unlawfully remove retail gift cards from the mail and convert them to her own use. During the investigation, she was found in possession of numerous gift cards from a variety of retailers she had removed from the mails.
A conviction for Possession of Stolen Mail carries a maximum penalty of five years, a $250,000 fine, or both. In determining the actual sentence, Judge Wake will consult the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges. The judge, however, is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence. The investigation in this case was conducted by the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General. The prosecution was handled by Charles F. Hyder, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix. CASE NUMBER: CR-11-08194- PCT-NVW RELEASE NUMBER: 2012-068(Staszak)
