Postal supervisor steals cash, gift cards from the mail and reseals envelopes, feds say

Law enforcement found a U.S. Postal Service supervisor with 53 pieces of mail on her and a $500 gift card stolen from the mail, revealing a monthslong theft scheme, investigators said.

Debra Watson, a 64-year-old from Massachusetts, was a USPS supervisor of distribution operations at the Hartford Processing and Distribution Center, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.

Now, she’s pleaded guilty to obstruction of mails, federal officials announced Oct. 29.

McClatchy News reached out to Watson’s attorney for comment Oct. 31 and did not immediately receive a response.

For about seven months, Watson is accused of pulling envelopes out of the mail stream and opening them to see what they contained.

For instance, in December 2021, she stole two $500 Visa gift cards from an envelope and used them at a grocery store and electronics store, prosecutors said in a plea agreement.

Watson told investigators she stole about 15 to 20 pieces of mail two to three nights a week, according to federal officials. She would take out items of value, reseal the envelopes and put them back in the mail stream at a different location, prosecutors said.

When tracked down in July 2022, Watson had dozens of pieces of stolen mail and a stolen gift card on her, according to law enforcement.

As part of the plea deal, Watson agreed to pay victims restitution, which is estimated to be at least $1,000.

She’s scheduled for sentencing Jan. 21 and faces a maximum of six months in prison.

This story was originally published October 31, 2024 at 8:29 AM with the headline "Postal supervisor steals cash, gift cards from the mail and reseals envelopes, feds say."