Former Postmaster Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement
Cynthia Landore Faces Possible Jail Time

February 8, 2012 – ABINGDON, VIRGINIA — The former Postmaster of the Hiltons, Virginia Post Office pled guilty this morning in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Abingdon to embezzlement charges.

Cynthia K. Landore, 56, of Bristol, Tenn., was indicted in November 2011 on a variety of charges related to her work as the Postmaster. This morning in District Court, Landore pled guilty to one count of embezzlement of postal funds and one count of embezzlement of public property. At sentencing, Landore faces a maximum possible penalty of 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000 on each count. The defendant has also agreed to pay restitution in an amount of not less than $34,022.

“Ms. Landore violated the trust placed in her by the United States Postal Service in order to line her own pockets,” United States Attorney Timothy J. Heaphy said today. “Her greed prompted her to steal from postal customers and embezzle money to which she was not entitled. This office will prosecute anyone who misuses the public trust, particularly those public servants who handle taxpayer funds.”

Landore admitted today that between June 2010 and July 2011, while working as the Postmaster at the Hiltons Post Office, she embezzled approximately $30,057 by unlawfully converting funds from the sale of money orders for her personal use. The defendant also admitted to embezzling funds from the sale of stamps for her personal use.

The investigation of the case was conducted by United States Postal Inspection Service. Special Assistant United States Attorney Kathy Carnell is prosecuting the case for the United States.

United States Postal Service Ranked No. 1 in the World
The Best Among Top 20 Largest Global Economies

WASHINGTON — A review of the performance of universal postal service providers by the Oxford Strategic Consulting (OSC) firm ranks the U.S. Postal Service the best postal service within the world’s top 20 largest economies for access to services, resource efficiency and public trust.

“We’re proud to lead the world in postal services and we will continue to deliver superior performance for future generations,” said Postmaster General and CEO Patrick Donahoe. “Our best days are ahead of us. I have no doubt the Postal Service will overcome its current financial challenges and endure as the world’s leading postal service.”

The review ranked USPS, Japan Post, Australia Post, Korea Post and Deutsche Post in its top five. USPS earned the premier ranking due to its high operating efficiency and public trust in its performance.

The ranking considered such factors as the average number of citizens served by the postal system in a country, the number of letters and parcels delivered by each postal employee and data on service reliability and public trust measured over three years.

The report found that USPS delivers nearly double the number of letters per employee as its closest competitor and more than five times more letters per employee than fifth-place Deutsche Post.

Despite increasing competition from digital communications, postal services continue to perform a key role in societies across the globe. The expansion of e-commerce means there’s an even greater need for fast, efficient and reliable postal services.

“People tend to think the Internet has made the postman redundant,” said Professor William Scott-Jackson, director, OSC. “But postal services provide the backbone for e-commerce deliveries.”

To receive a copy of the full report, contact Scott Druck at sd@oxfordstrategicconsulting.com.

WILMINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper, chairman of the Senate Subcommittee that oversees the U.S. Postal Service, along with Gov. Jack Markell, Sen. Chris Coons and Rep. John Carney (all D-Del.) wrote to United States Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe urging him to review the U.S. Postal Service’s proposal that would revamp Delaware’s only mail processing facility, causing a significant negative impact on Delaware. Specifically, the Postal Service has proposed transferring the mail processing functions from the Delaware Processing and Distribution facility at Hare’s Corner in New Castle, Del., to another facility in Bellmawr, N.J.

The letter highlights several concerns with the proposal and the process the Postal Service has employed when considering revamping the Hare’s Corner facility. It includes statements from businesses and state and federal agencies noting that this proposal would negatively impact their operations. It also urges the Postmaster General to reconsider the Area Mail Processing study that led to the current proposal, explore the concerns raised regarding the proposal, and consider the possibility of consolidating other operations into the Delaware Processing and Distribution facility.

A copy of the letter follows:

February 3, 2012

The Honorable Patrick R. Donahoe
Postmaster General of the United States
475 L’Enfant Plaza, SW
Washington, DC 20260-0010

Dear Postmaster General Donahoe:

We are writing to express our concerns about the Postal Service’s proposal to transfer mail processing functions from the Delaware Processing and Distribution facility at Hares Corner to another facility in Bellmawr, New Jersey. While we appreciate the need on the part of the Postal Service to find efficiencies and to adjust to the changing ways in which Americans communicate, we fear that the loss of mail processing at Hares Corner could have a significant negative impact on Delaware and represent a missed opportunity to improve mail service in our region.

On September 15, 2011, we were notified by the Postal Service of its intent to begin an Area Mail Processing (AMP) study on Hares Corner. On December 20, 2011 while the AMP study was still evolving, we received a summary of the study with a letter notifying us of a public meeting on the future of Hares Corner on January 4, 2012. Due to concerns we raised that the amount of notice was not sufficient to inform the public and fully understand what was being proposed, the Postal Service agreed to postpone this meeting and move it to January 12, 2012, and then to January 19, 2012.

While we thank you for accommodating our request to delay the public meeting and appreciate the work of the members of your staff who were in attendance, we still do not understand how we or the public can be expected to articulate informed comments on a study we have not seen and which, according to Postal Service staff, has not been completed. We believe it would be in the best interest of postal customers, postal employees, and community leaders – and also of the Postal Service itself – if all interested parties were afforded an opportunity to review the final completed study, understand its potential implications for Delaware and the surrounding region, and then engage in a dialogue and exchange of ideas based on the known merits and demerits of what is being proposed.

Despite our inability to obtain the details of the Postal Service’s plans for Hares Corner and for mail processing in our region generally, we have a number of points to raise about this decision that we think illustrate the flaws in those plans. We hope that the Postal Service will reconsider its proposal in light of a number of factors that were, to the best of our knowledge, overlooked or possibly misstated during the course of the work that has been completed in the AMP study to date.

According to the Postal Service’s AMP Processing Guidelines, Handbook PO-408, the four objectives of an AMP feasibility study are: (1) evaluation of the impacts on the service standards for all classes of mail; (2) consideration of the issues important to local customers; (3) identification of impacts on Postal Service staffing; and (4) analysis of the savings and costs associated with moving mail processing operations. We will identify concerns in all four areas that have been brought to our attention and that we believe will demonstrate to the Postal Service that removing mail processing functions from Hares Corner fails to meet the Postal Service’s four core objectives of an AMP feasibility study.

Impacts on Service Standards

We recognize that the Postal Service has an obligation to use every authority available to it to find the operational savings necessary to preserve universal mail service during these challenging times. We are also aware that the proposed service changes that would allow for the consolidation of Hares Corner’s mail processing functions into Bellmawr are national in scope and would impact all postal customers, not just those in Delaware. That said, we believe it is important to share with you some of the concerns that have been brought to our attention by major postal customers in our state. These comments raise concerns that we believe the Postal Service should consider.

We heard the following from local officials from the Internal Revenue Service:

“Proposed closing of the only United States Postal Service distribution facility in Delaware would definitely impact our ability to provide timely services to the public. The proposed closing of the only United States Postal Service distribution facility would delay the IRS’s ability to process incoming correspondence and payments. It would also delay the delivery of time sensitive correspondence to taxpayers where information concerning adjustments to taxes owed, audits, and payments are being requested to satisfy accounts.

The IRS is the one federal agency most Americans interact with every year, meaning that to a significant extent, their perception about the federal government “is shaped by their experience in dealing with the IRS.” Nearly half of all taxpayers who now write the IRS on tax adjustment issues “must wait more than 6½ weeks for a reply.” In 2004, 11.5 percent of writers waited that long for replies. If taxpayers experience unnecessary hassles in trying to do their civic duty, their cynicism about the competence and fairness of the government will increase. Greater workload plus fewer resources may also damage tax agency efforts to catch tax scofflaws. The most recent IRS estimate of the tax gap, based on figures from 2001, posits that at least $290 billion goes uncollected annually.”

The State of Delaware Office of Management and Budget made the following comments:

“Should Hare’s Corner close, Delaware addressed mail originating from State Agencies will be transported to the South Jersey USPS processing plant to be sorted, processed and returned to Delaware local post offices or a USPS center for delivery within Delaware. This creates an expected 2-3 day delivery timeframe for First class mail from the current 1-3 days delivery, effectively adding a delay to First class mailing that will not be avoidable.

State of Delaware Agencies generate approximately 3.2MM pieces of presort mail annually. Heavily impacted State Agencies will be Corporations (standing policy is all Division of Corporations mail goes First Class to shorten mailing time) and the Courts collectively (impacts to timelines of hearings, Court Dates and notices). The State uses a Pre-Sort vendor in processing mail. Currently Pre-Sort mail generated by State Agencies is processed by the contract vendor and delivered to Hares Corner for delivery. The presort process service has mail delivered in a 2-3 day timeframe. Presort mail achieves a 6.5¢ per piece savings. Presort mail possessing a Delaware address would be affected by the closure of Hares Corner that would move the presort delivery time standards to 4-6 days (2-3 for the presort process plus the USPS delivery standards of 2-3). State Agency customers will likely raise concerns over timeliness of using the presort process should this occur.”

A local bank, Wilmington Savings Fund Society (WSFS), indicated the following:

“WSFS uses a mail presort house to consolidate and process the majority of outgoing mail. Our current presort provider is locally based in New Castle, less than one mile from Hares Corner. The advantages that we have with this relationship is a liberal daily cut off time for us to render and ready our statements/notices for delivery to the presort house. The vendor in turn is able to process our mail and deliver it to the Hares Corner USPS processing site before the 8:00 PM cutoff that same day. This results in a large percentage of our outgoing mail being delivered to the end customer the following day. Likely impact of the closing of the Hares Corner USPS processing site would be:

Cutoff time for WSFS to deliver mail to the presort house would be moved to an earlier time during the day. This may result in carry-over of processing until the following day. Estimate is an average of 10% – 15% of daily volume on statement cycle days. Potential for added expense if the presort provider levies a fuel surcharge for delivering mail to a site outside of Delaware. Potential for extended delivery time of mailings to customers if the USPS out-of-market mail processor is unable to provide next day delivery.

This impact is not factoring the proposed increase in postal rates or the reduction in mail delivery days, as these are likely to occur regardless of the outcome for the Hares Corner USPS processing site closure.”

J.P. Morgan Chase, a national bank with significant operations in Delaware has indicated that the elimination of the Hares Corner mail processing facility could:

“[I]mpact our ability to process customer’s payments in the quickest fashion. Redirecting mail to New Jersey creates transportation and processing delays. The estimated impact of delays could be approximately 700,000 pieces of mail per month. These payments will be posted upon their receipt utilizing backdating which is not a good experience for the customer.”

Another bank with significant operations in Delaware, and a customer of the Postal Service that sends tens of millions of pieces of mail each year and hopes to have a mail processing center nearby its Wilmington location, made this comment:

“For redundancy purposes we would like to have a mail processing facility nearby in case of terrorist issues or natural disasters. Closing Hares Corner would not provide a nearby facility.”

As you may recall, mail processing facilities in New Jersey and Washington, DC were closed for an extended period of time a number of years ago after the postal anthrax attacks. If something of this nature happened again at a facility this or other banks currently use, consolidating Hares Corner’s mail processing function into Bellmawr would not provide the backup facility they would need in Delaware.

As reflected in the comments above, some of Delaware’s largest postal customers have stated on the record that moving the Hares Corner processing facility could double delivery times, not to mention increase costs. As a result, we believe removing mail processing functions from Hares Corner facility would have a profound impact on service for both public and private enterprise in Delaware.

Impacts on Postal Service Staffing

It is our understanding that, if the Postal Service’s proposal for Hares Corner is implemented, there will be approximately 173 positions at Bellmawr available for the 494 individuals currently working at Hares Corner, including 31 management positions. However, before those eligible Hares Corner personnel can bid on any of those positions, the personnel currently working in Bellmawr may have an opportunity to bid for them first. This could eliminate the seniority advantage any Hares Corner personnel might have and may require them to take less desirable and ultimately lower-paying jobs. We have also heard that approximately 101 employees will continue to work at the Hares Corner facility to handle various jobs, leaving approximately 220 employees– almost 50% of the current workforce – without identified positions. Given the information that we have been provided to date, then, up to 50 percent of the Hares Corner workforce could be without a job or put in a situation in which they have no choice but to give up their careers. Such a potential outcome is very difficult to accept, as it would have a significant and detrimental impact on the dedicated men and women who have worked at Hares Corner. Before the Postal Service moves forward with finalizing the AMP study, the Postal Service must make clear what the staffing plan is and provide those who will be most affected an opportunity to comment on such a plan.

Potential Savings

Based on the limited information we have been provided, it seems the total projected savings from the Postal Service’s Hares Corner proposal are estimated to be as high as $19,667,703. However, we have seen other data that point to $17,505,255 in savings. The fact that these savings totals are still in flux at this late date when the Postal Service could be making a final decision on Hares Corner within a matter of weeks is troubling.

Our staff has found other problems with the savings projections related to the Hares Corner proposal:

• The Postal Service is apparently expected to generate $9,028,965 in savings due to the elimination of 194 craft positions at Hares Corner. Meanwhile, we have been told that the consolidation of mail processing functions from a similar facility in southeastern Pennsylvania into Philadelphia would generate $6,962,011 due to the elimination of 252 craft positions. If one were to compare the average cost savings per employee at these two facilities there is a significant and unexplained difference. The Hares Corner proposal would achieve $46,541 in savings per craft employee while the southeastern Pennsylvania proposal would only achieve $27,627 in savings per craft employee, a difference on average of $18,914 per craft employee. We do not understand why there would be such a difference.
• We have seen two numbers related to transportation cost savings. The potential move of mail processing functions from Hares Corner to Bellmawr will either save $1,708,076 annually or cost $193,148. Again, we have no idea how these numbers were calculated and which one is correct. Hopefully, you can shed some light on the process for determining these cost savings estimates.

These questionable savings estimates presented in summary form call into serious question the basis for the Postal Service’s plans for mail processing consolidation in our region.

Discriminatory Impact on Delaware

If the Postal Service’s Hares Corner proposal is implemented, Delaware would be the only state in the nation without a Postal Service mail processing facility. This situation could potentially make it significantly more difficult to attract jobs that rely on convenient access to the Postal Service, giving all of our neighbors a Postal Service-created economic development advantage. Our concerns in this regard were confirmed by Alan Levin, the Director of the Delaware Economic Development Office. At the January 19 public meeting, he stated that:

“Providing good service to businesses in Delaware is tremendously important and if you take away the Hares Corner mail processing facility Delaware will not be on an even playing field to compete among states for economic development. Also, one of the factors the financial services industry evaluates when making location decisions is mail service. The loss of this facility could have drastic implications for Delaware, a financial industry hub for credit card banks.”

Furthermore, some small businesses and charities that currently receive discounts for having their mail presorted are concerned that they may lose those discounts if they are unable to get their mail to Bellmawr. If those discounts were lost, it would give charities in other states an advantage over those located in Delaware. It would also give businesses and charities an incentive to relocate their operations – and the jobs that those operations create – to another state. This is a real concern and something which needs to be considered by the Postal Service before any final decision is made.

Better Serving the Region at Hares Corner

We believe that there is a better way for the Postal Service to cut costs in our region without losing the valuable work that occurs daily at Hares Corner.

When the Postal Service first proposed changing the manner in which mail in the Philadelphia area is processed, the initial plan was to consolidate mail processing functions currently performed in Hares Corner, Bellmawr, and southeastern Pennsylvania into a much larger facility near the Philadelphia International Airport. On December 20th, however, we learned that that the proposal had been changed and that, due to concern that the Philadelphia facility could not handle all of the region’s mail, the Postal Service was proposing that Philadelphia absorb the mail processing work performed in southeastern Pennsylvania but that the Bellmawr facility remain open to absorb the mail processing work performed at Hares Corner. Based on conversations that members of our staff have had with Postal Service staff, we understand that no analysis was done that involved Hares Corner remaining open.

We understand that Hares Corner, due to its size and to transportation challenges in the region, would not be able to absorb the mail processing work performed in southeastern Pennsylvania or in Bellmawr. However, we have been told by Postal Service officials that a processing center could process three times as much mail with less equipment if the service change the Postal Service is proposing is implemented. Furthermore, as the southernmost plant in the Philadelphia area, we believe that Hares Corner could play a key role in more efficiently processing mail coming out of communities on the Delmarva Peninsula, nearby communities in northern Maryland, and even communities west of Philadelphia along Delaware’s northern border. Preserving processing functions at Hares Corner could be even more important if you consider the fact that Delaware has had significant population growth, is the fastest growing state in the northeast according to Census data, and is expected to continue to experience growth well into the future.

In addition to the proposal related to Hares Corner, the Postal Service is considering consolidating work performed at a mail processing facility in Easton, Maryland into a processing facility in Baltimore. Members of our staffs have visited both facilities. They have heard that after Baltimore began accepting mail processing work from Frederick, Maryland, the facility experienced a number of difficulties and delays. With the planned consolidation of a Martinsburg, West Virginia and the Easton facility, Baltimore could have some issues absorbing the additional mail.

Transportation could present another challenge that argues for the preservation of mail processing at Hares Corner. Travel between the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Baltimore involves driving over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. We believe that Hares Corner could easily absorb Easton’s mail and avoid the problems associated with traffic and weather situations that could make travel across the Bay Bridge challenging. In addition, mail from Cecil County, Maryland that currently travels to Baltimore for processing may be more efficiently handled at Hares Corner. For example, the largest population center in Cecil County – Elkton, Maryland – is about 17 miles from Hares Corner. Elkton is more than 50 miles from Baltimore. Finally, if the Philadelphia facility truly cannot handle all of the mail from surrounding communities, Hares Corner may be able to more efficiently process mail from communities in Pennsylvania such as Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, and Oxford that are close to the Delaware border and have strong transportation links to Hares Corner.

In conclusion, with the number of questions we have raised concerning this potential consolidation and the serious proposal we have set forth above, we ask that the Postal Service take the time it needs to fully vet its proposal and our own to be certain that whatever is ultimately decided is the right decision. Based on the summary of the ongoing AMP feasibility study that has been provided to date, it is clear to us that consolidation of Hares Corner’s mail processing functions into Bellmawr does not meet the Postal Service’s very own core objectives of an AMP feasibility study. Conversely, for the reasons mentioned above, we believe preserving processing functions at Hares Corner – a facility that has received internal Postal Service quality scores higher than most other mail processing facilities, including Bellmawr – would actually make Hares Corner an even more important part of the Postal Service’s logistics network in our region. It would prevent the unfortunate and discriminatory possibility of Delaware being the only state without a mail processing facility and enable the Postal Service to better serve growing communities in our state and the region that would likely not be well served if their mail were sent to far-off facilities for processing.

We sincerely believe that the Postal Service must act to solve its financial issues, but doing it in ways that do not improve service and are not cost effective are not the answer. Given the number of serious questions we have regarding the merits of this proposal and without being able to evaluate the final AMP study in a thorough, fair, and transparent way, we will be unable to support the Postal Service decision to consolidate the Hares Corner Mail Processing Center to the Bellmawr, NJ facility at this time.

Please explore the issues we have raised and consider the possibility of consolidating other operations into Hares Corner.

With best personal regards, we are

Sincerely yours,

Thomas R. Carper – U.S. Senator

Christopher A. Coons – U.S. Senator

John C. Carney – U.S. Representative

Jack A. Markell – Governor

cc:

Thurgood Marshall, Jr., Chairman, USPS Board of Governors
Cheralyn D. Morton, Manager, Consumer & Industry Contact, U.S. Postal Service South Jersey District

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service today announced the new Love Ribbons Forever Stamp is on sale today at usps.com and by phone at 800-782-6724. Stamps are arriving in Post Offices over the next few days and will be sold as soon as they are available.

“We are excited to bring this colorful new stamp to our customers in time for them to mail their Valentine’s Day greeting cards and letters,” said Stamp Services Manager, Stephen Kearney. “We will continue selling the Garden of Love stamps too.” The official dedication ceremony for Love Ribbons will be held Feb. 14 in Colorado Springs, CO.

Evoking images of romance and elegance, this year’s Love stamp features a graphic design of satin ribbons that spell out the word “Love” in a graceful, cursive script.

Like stamps, ribbons often adorn special packages to friends and family. Attached to floral arrangements, boxes of candy, and gifts of all kinds, ribbons beautify and embellish gestures of romance, friendship and caring. Silk, satin, taffeta and organdy ribbons often are used to enhance the beauty of bridal bouquets and invitations for weddings and other special celebrations for friends and loved ones.

Graphic designer Louise Fili worked with art director Derry Noyes on this stamp.

The Love Ribbons stamp is being issued as a Forever Stamp in self-adhesive sheets of 20. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price. At the time of issuance, the Love Ribbons stamps are being sold at a price of 45 cents each, or $9 per sheet.

Customers may view the Love Ribbons Forever Stamp, as well as many of this year’s other stamps, on Facebook at facebook.com/USPSStamps, through http://www.twitter.com/uspsstamps or on the website Beyond the Perf at beyondtheperf.com/stamp-releases/2012. Beyond the Perf is the Postal Service’s online site for background on upcoming stamp subjects, first-day-of-issue events and other philatelic news.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark, Love Ribbons Forever Stamp

Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at a local Post Office, at The Postal Store website at usps.com/shop or by calling 800-STAMP-24. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others) and place them in larger envelopes addressed to:

Love Ribbons Stamp
Postmaster
201 E. Pikes Peak Avenue
Colorado Springs, CO 80903-9998

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes by mail. There is no charge for the postmark.

All orders must be postmarked by April 14, 2012.

How to Order First-Day Covers

The Postal Service also offers first-day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-782-6724 or writing to:

Information Fulfillment
Dept. 6270
U.S. Postal Service
P.O. Box 219014
Kansas City, MO 64121-9014

Philatelic Products
There are four philatelic products available for this stamp issue:

• 577261, First-Day Cover, $.89.
• 577265, Digital Color Postmark, $1.60.
• 577291, Ceremony Program, $6.95
• 577299, Cancellation Keepsake (Digital Color Postmark w/Pane), $10.95.

Former Federal Agent Convicted of Perjury and Obstruction of Justice

Jan. 27, 2012 – BOSTON – A former federal postal inspector was convicted yesterday in federal court of perjury and obstruction of justice.

Joseph M. McGonagle, III, 38, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to perjury and obstruction of justice. Had the case proceeded to trial the Government’s evidence would have proven that McGonagle knowingly and wilfully falsely testified under oath at a May 19, 2010, court hearing held in U.S. District Court in Boston. At the time the offenses were committed, McGonagle was an inspector with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. He had been assigned to the prosecution team in United States v. Eric L. Levine, et al. Levine was tried and convicted by a jury in 2010.

On the evening of May 18, 2010, during the Levine, et al. trial, Levine’s lead defense counsel at Denner Pelligrino learned that McGonagle had a phone conversation that evening with Melanie Abbruzzese, a paralegal employed at Denner Pelligrino. Defense counsel learned that during that conversation, Inspector McGonagle told Abbruzzese that an Assistant U.S. Attorney prosecuting the case had just sent an email to his staff at the U.S. Postal Service indicating the names of the defense witnesses which listed defendant Levine as a possible witness. The following morning, defense counsel alerted the government and the Court of the conversation between Abbruzzese and McGonagle.

Judge O’Toole held a hearing to determine whether there was any breach of confidentiality. McGonagle and Abbruzzese both testified at the hearing under oath.

McGonagle was questioned about the May 18 phone call to Abbruzzese, and more broadly, about his other interactions with Abbruzzese to include contact by email, phone or in person. McGonagle testified that he had no social out-of-office meetings with Abbruzzese, that his email contacts with her were of a professional nature, and that there were no calls during the Levine trial.

Contrary to his testimony, McGonagle had numerous social, out-of-office meetings with Abbruzzese during the Levine trial, including drinks on three occasions all within the10 days prior to his May 19, 2010 testimony. Further, on the evening of May 13, 2010, following their visit to the Bell and Hand restaurant in Boston, McGonagle and Abbruzzese were observed by a co-worker in McGonagle’s car while parked in front of Denner Pelligrino’s office. In addition, documentary evidence, to include cell tower information from Abbruzzese’s cell phone, showed that Abbruzzese had overnight visits at McGonagle’s apartment in Danvers the evenings of May 14 and May 16, 2010.

Furthermore, contrary to McGonagle’s testimony that emails between them were all of a professional nature, there were actually 41 emails between the two work email accounts from March 29 and May 18, 2010. The first three of those emails, dated Mar. 29 through Mar. 30, related to official business. The remaining 38 emails, dated April 12 through May 18, 2010, were all of a personal nature. Finally, although McGonagle testified that “I don’t think there were any phone calls,” cell phone records showed approximately 40 calls between the two between May 5 and May 19, 2010. The prosecutor told the court yesterday that four of those calls actually exceeded one hour, and on the day of their testimony alone, they exchanged seven phone calls.

The evidence would have further shown that McGonagle’s false testimony concerned a matter material to the court’s inquiry. The Judge ruled that McGonagle’s false statements hindered the court’s inquiry into the nature of the relationship between he and Abbruzzese. McGonagle’s false testimony was intended to, and did, conceal the existence of his ongoing relationship with Abbruzzese and thus deprived the court of a fulsome inquiry into whether anything inappropriate, in terms of confidentiality, was passed from one party to the other.

Judge Gorton scheduled sentencing for May 3, 2012. McGonagle faces up to five years in prison on the perjury charge and 10 years in prison for obstruction of justice. He also faces three years of supervised release following incarceration and a $250,000 fine on each charge.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Curtis Lembke, Area Special Agent in Charge, Special Inquiries Division, U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General made the announcement today. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane C. Freniere of Ortiz’s Public Corruption and Special Prosecutions Unit.

WASHINGTON — Expanding on the success of its line of Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes, the U.S. Postal Service has introduced the first Express Mail Flat Rate Box.

Ideal for consumers and small businesses selling merchandise online, the Postal Service’s Express Mail Flat Rate Box takes the guess work out of shipping, providing overnight delivery — up to 70 pounds — almost anywhere in the country for $39.95.

“With the Express Mail Flat Rate Box, there’s no need to use a zone chart to calculate prices. If it fits, it ships,” said Gary Reblin, vice president, Domestic Products. “The Express Mail Flat Rate Box offers convenience, ease of use, free packaging and a flat-out value price.”

Express Mail Flat Rate Boxes also can be used for international shipments with a maximum weight of 20 pounds. The boxes are priced at $59.95 to Canada and $74.95 for all other countries that accept Express Mail International.

The Express Mail Flat Rate Box rounds out the Express Mail Flat Rate product line, which includes an Express Mail Flat Rate Envelope and an Express Mail Flat Rate Legal Envelope, both retailing for $18.95.

The same size as the medium Priority Mail Flat Rate Box, the Express Mail Flat Rate Box is available in a top-loading or side-loading design. The boxes can be ordered online at usps.com and also are available at select Post Offices.

Express Mail service offers a money-back guarantee (some restrictions apply) and overnight delivery to most U.S. addresses, including PO Boxes. Express Mail is delivered 365 days a year with no Saturday delivery charges, residential surcharges or fuel surcharges. Sunday and holiday delivery is available to many ZIP codes for a modest premium.

An agreement has been reached between the Postal Service and the two Postmaster organizations (NAPUS and the League of Postmasters) to extend Postmaster pay talks until February 29, 2012. The original deadline for discussions on pay and benefits for Postmaster for Fiscal Years 2011-2015 was scheduled to end on January 27, 2012.

NAPUS President Bob Rapoza said that the talks should continue as long as meaningful discussions continue to move forward. Both organizational Presidents jointly notified the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) that the Postal Service had agreed to extend the discussions until the end of February. A decision on whether the two Postmaster organizations will request a resumption of the mediation process will be made after that date.

Talks continue to focus on minimum and maximum salary range improvements, health benefits contribution rates and changes to the Performance Evaluation System (PES.) Please check the NAPUS website for updates.

Charlie Moser

January 26, 2012

The January 22, 2012, price changes will include a major new benefit for businesses and organizations sending First-Class Mail® Presort and Automation letters. As part of the new Domestic Products prices being implemented on that date, First-Class Mail Presort and Automation letters weighing up to 2 ounces will be charged the 1-ounce price.

2nd Ounce Free is one of the many ways USPS® is add­ing value to First-Class Mail service. Commercial mailers can use the free second ounce to enclose promotional materials, advertising, coupons, and other messages that put them in touch with their customers and which could turn costs into potential revenues.

2nd Ounce Free is not a promotion, but a permanent price change for First-Class Mail Automation and Presort letters. An earlier initiative, the Reply Rides Free/2nd Ounce program, ended on December 31, 2011.

Source: USPS

http://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2012/pb22328/html/info_002.htm#ep1440733

BOSTON – A Boston man and former postal employee was sentenced in federal court for stealing mail from his postal route.

Andrae Wilson, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge William Young to four months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release. Wilson was also ordered to repay over $9,000 he spent using a stolen credit card. Wilson pleaded guilty to two counts of mail theft by a postal employee in October 2011.

Had the case proceeded to trial the Government’s evidence would have proven that the defendant was employed as a Part-Time-Flexible Letter Carrier in Roxbury beginning in November 2004. In January 2007, a Roxbury resident complained that a credit card had been stolen from her mail and used to purchase thousands of dollars of goods and services. All the purchases were made during the month of December 2006. After reviewing surveillance video from one of the stores where the stolen credit card was used, it was determined that Wilson was the one using the resident’s credit card. A review of delivery records indicated that Wilson was the mail carrier assigned to the route that included the resident’s address.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Rafael Medina, Acting Special Agent in Charge, United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Area Field Office, made the announcement today. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey M. Cohen of Ortiz’s Public Corruption Unit.

On January 4, 2012, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, Pamela S. Hinzman, former Treasurer of American Postal Workers Union Local 1580 (located in Parkersburg, W.Va.), was charged in a one-count indictment for embezzling $26,260.68 in union funds. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Pittsburgh District Office.

On December 13, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, Amy Pullen, former Secretary-Treasurer of National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 1106 (located in Mayfield, Ky.), was indicted on one count of embezzlement in the amount of $4,876, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The indictment follows an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.

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An indictment is a formal accusation or charge based on a finding by a Grand Jury that it is likely that the person charged committed the criminal offense described in the indictment and is the means by which an accused person (defendant) is brought to trial. An indictment raises no inference of guilt. As in all criminal cases, each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

An information is a formal accusation of a crime by a government attorney rather than a Grand Jury. An information raises no inference of guilt. As in all criminal cases, each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

A charge is an accusation of criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. As in all criminal cases, each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Each count is a separate and distinct offense charged in an indictment or information.

A guilty plea is a defendant’s admission to the court that he or she committed the offense charged and an agreement to waive the right to a trial.

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A sentence is a judicial determination of the punishment to be imposed on an individual who has plead guilty or has been convicted by a jury or judge of a criminal offense.