1/23/15 – Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Jeffrey L. Shipley, age 48, of Millersville, Maryland today to 20 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for stealing and destroying mail while employed as a postal employee. Judge Hollander also entered an order that Shipley pay $19,358.75 in restitution.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; and Special Agent in Charge Paul Bowman of the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General. 
According to his plea agreement, Shipley worked as a postal service carrier beginning in 1993. From about 2005 to March 10, 2014, Shipley stole and embezzled mail. Shipley was a letter carrier at the Brooklyn Carrier Annex from 1994 to January 2007, at the Parkville Branch until August 2007, and at the Catonsville Carrier Annex from August 4, 2007 to 2014.
Shipley embezzled mail that he was entrusted to deliver on his assigned route, and stole mail directly from the Catonsville Carrier Annex that was not part of his assigned route. Shipley also took Postal Service property, including stools, mail bags, signs and a mirror, valued at over $500.
Agents executed a search warrant at Shipley’s residence on March 10, 2014 and at a storage facility that he rented in Glen Burnie on April 18, 2014. Agents seized 20,413 pieces of mail, including gift cards and credit cards. Agents also seized 55 gift cards and 15 credit cards which were located separately from the stolen and embezzled mail, along with prescription bottles of medicine, checks, passports, a U.S. citizenship and immigration card, jewelry, clothes, books, a Nook, sunglasses and other items.
The total loss resulting from the scheme is over $10,000 and involved over 250 victims.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the U.S. Postal Service – OIG for its work in the investigation and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Judson T. Mihok, who prosecuted the case.
I am sorry to say, that I believe that money, credit cards and pain medications are stolen very often at USPS. I am having issues with my package right now. The tracking hasn’t been updated in 5 days from where it was scanned the first and only time. I’m sure postal workers realize that something good may be inside these envelopes and if a signature is required, just says even more.
If I find out this has happened to me? I will sue [inappropriate wording removed by PEN] this federal agency for pain and suffering beyond belief! I live in Florida and right now thousands of legitimate pain patients are seeking to get medicine through the mail from their insurance because there is a crisis here caused by the of overzealous approach to get rid of pill mills has become an inhumane war against people with real pain..
USPS is not safe for this kind delivery. I watched the postal worker drive past my driveway on purpose when my package was in their car. I know this because I had gotten the tracking info all night and was expecting it. I had to call the post office and tell them the driver just went right past house with my medication! I now have a package I should have gotten days ago! No tracking updates.. I feel it’s been stolen! I will find a better method or much safer company to use like, Fed EX is much more secure.
Concerned customer – you should always contact your ‘local’ carrier manager for your area when you believe there may be theft happening…don’t just talk about, do something about it.
I am retired from USPS and even my own medication (by mail) was returned to the sender last month marked “undeliverable as addressed” – I have lived here for 38 years. So, I understand your thoughts, but I reject your notion that all or most postal employees are thieves…this is just not so.
Rick Owens – PEN