SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – 9/1/26 – Delos Thurston, age 28, of Clinton, New York, was sentenced on August 27, 2026, to 3 years’ probation for money order fraud. First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Matthew M. Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Area Field Office of the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General (“USPS-OIG”), made the announcement.
Between April 2025 and January 2026, while he was employed as the Postmaster of the Morrisville, New York, Post Office, Thurston fraudulently issued 179 money orders for his own benefit without paying for them, and in so doing stole $118,088.19 from the United States.
Senior U.S. District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also sentenced Thurston to pay restitution to the U.S. Postal Service in the amount of $118,088.19.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarcone said, “This defendant was entrusted with serving his community and the American public as Postmaster. He violated that trust by using his position to steal more than $100,000 from the United States Government and, by extension, the American taxpayer. Thanks to the swift action of the USPS Office of Inspector General, his misconduct was uncovered, and he will now be required to repay the stolen funds, and serve a term of strict supervision while on probation.”
“Today’s sentencing reinforces that employees who abuse their positions of public trust for personal gain will be held accountable. The USPS Office of Inspector General remains committed to protecting the integrity of the Postal Service. We thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York for its continued partnership,” said Matthew M. Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Area Field Office, USPS Office of Inspector General.
The USPS-OIG investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. McCrobie prosecuted the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
