According to the criminal complaint, in October 2025, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service launched multiple investigations into the robberies of nine letter carriers in Erie and Niagara Counties for their specialized postal keys, which are used to access blue mail collection boxes.

On December 5, 2025, Niagara Falls Police officers and Postal Inspectors responded to the scene of a letter carrier who was robbed of her postal key on Forest Avenue. The letter carrier was approached by an unknown black male wearing a neck warmer pulled up to mask much of his face. The man had his hands in his front hoodie pocket and pointed the pocket toward the letter carrier, causing her to believe the individual had a weapon pointed at her. The man demanded, “give me that gold key,” which she understood to mean her postal key. She gave the man her key, and he then ran off. The stolen key could be used to gain access to all blue collection boxes located in the Niagara Falls area.

In the early morning hours of October 5, 2026, investigators were conducting surveillance of the La Salle Post Office in Niagara Falls, when inspectors received notification that the collection box outside the Main Street Post Office in Niagara Falls had been accessed. At approximately 2:35 a.m., law enforcement observed a silver-colored vehicle, with a burned-out driver side taillight, park near the La Salle Post Office. Two suspects exited the vehicle with a large black bag. Security surveillance video showed a third suspect seated in the front passenger seat. The first two suspects approached the collection box outside the La Salle Post Office, one suspect held back, appearing to act as a lookout, while the other suspect accessed the drive-up collection box. Security surveillance video captured the suspect as he appeared to use a key to open the lower employee access panel to the box and remove all of the mail from the white flat tub contained in the bottom of the box, loading all of the mail into a backpack. As the two suspects started heading back to their vehicle, Inspectors and Niagara Falls Police officers quickly moved in with vehicles and on foot. The two suspects briefly attempted to flee but were quickly apprehended along with the third suspect. La enforcement recovered the backpack full of mail and the postal key, which had been stolen from the postal carrier in December 2025.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright. The complaint is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector-in-Charge Justin Page, Boston Division and the Niagara Falls Police Department, under the direction of Chief Nick Ligammari.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

10/6/26 – The Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, is a law that grants the public the right to access records from the federal government, unless an exemption applies.

The Postal Service has a special exemption that allows the organization to withhold commercial information if it would not be good business practice to publicly disclose that information.

This exemption can apply to information the Postal Service creates or information the organization obtains from customers or suppliers.

Information is considered commercial if it relates to commerce, trade, profit or the Postal Service’s ability to conduct itself in a businesslike manner. Examples include anything that can benefit USPS competitors, such as negotiated terms in leases and contracts, geolocation data, and records indicating carrier or delivery lines of travel.

The Code of Federal Regulations contains a list of commercial information that should be protected.

Employees with questions should email the USPS Privacy and Records Management Office or call 202-268-2608.

BETHESDA, MD — 10/6/26 – Today the U.S. Postal Service issued a semipostal stamp, Know the Facts About Fentanyl, at a ceremony held at the National Institutes of Health.

The stamp will raise funds to advance research and raise awareness to combat this ongoing epidemic while providing a message encouraging hope, healing and recovery.

The stamp was dedicated by Peter Pastre, USPS government relations and public policy vice president.

“Fentanyl contributes to some 80,000 overdose deaths each year, with devasting impacts to families and communities across the nation,” he said. “This semipostal stamp is priced higher than the standard 1-ounce letter rate to help raise money for causes in the national interest. The net proceeds from this stamp will be distributed to the National Institute on Drug Abuse —the world’s largest provider of research into substance abuse, addiction treatment, and recovery support.”

Pastre was joined by Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health.

“Fentanyl represents one of the most urgent public health challenges of our time, and confronting it requires the full weight of scientific inquiry, innovation and national resolve,” he said. “At NIH, we are committed to funding the rigorous research needed to understand addiction, develop new treatments and save lives. This stamp is a uniquely meaningful way to remind every American that this fight belongs to all of us, and that science offers real hope for the future.”

Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, also spoke at the dedication.

“Addiction research has shown that recovery is sustained through meaningful interpersonal connections — the support of families, friends and peers in recovery. It is fitting to convey that message through a postage stamp, because stamps travel and connect one person to another. This stamp will travel through homes, workplaces and communities across the country, carrying a reminder that community matters, treatment works, recovery is possible, and nobody has to confront addiction by themselves,”  she said.

Most of the approximately 80,000 annual overdose deaths in the United States involve fentanyl and other extremely potent synthetic opioids. In 2023, the U.S. saw a reduction in drug overdose deaths for the first time in years. Data released in 2024 showed deaths involving fentanyl declined at a historic rate, down more than 30 percent over the previous year. Sustained research to prevent and treat addiction, deploy overdose interventions, and sustain recovery is critical to build on current progress.

When working on the stamp design, Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, said he wanted to convey the idea of supporting people while avoiding imagery of pills, which could be triggering to those recovering from misuse.

He reached out to illustrator Whitney Sherman, who created the art for the wildly successful Breast Cancer Research Semipostal.

The art focuses on a person in the center of the stamp surrounded by a diverse group of supporters. This emphasizes how fentanyl can affect one person yet also has an impact on the community. The group shows care and comfort to the central figure, reflecting their love and support. The central figure accepts their support without shame or embarrassment.

“The word ‘hope’ was dominant in my mind as it presents possibilities and positive outcomes,” Sherman said. “If you look at each person, they have an intention. They come from various places in the figure’s life. They are expressing care with their eyes and hand gestures. Some are looking at us, suggesting an invitation to also be caring, some are showing their commitment to the central figure that a family member or close friend may give, others offer a sympathetic glance.”

While Alcalá said working on any stamp is meaningful, this one is a little more special.

Know the Facts About Fentanyl is a semipostal stamp. The price of a semipostal stamp pays for the First-Class single-piece postage rate in effect at the time of purchase plus an amount to fund causes that have been determined to be in the national public interest. By law, revenue from sales (minus postage and the reasonable reimbursement of costs to the Postal Service) is to be transferred to a selected executive agency or agencies. Net proceeds from this stamp will be distributed to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

News of the Know the Facts About Fentanyl semipostal stamp is being shared with the hashtag #FentanylSemipostalStamp.

Postal Products
Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through The Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic, or at Post Office locations nationwide. For officially licensed stamp products, shop the USPS Officially Licensed Collection on Amazon. Additional information on stamps, first-day-of-issue ceremonies and stamp-inspired products can be found at stampsforever.com.

# # #

Rounds requested OIG investigation in December 2025

Self-service options are available in many retail lobbies when Post Offices are closed

WASHINGTON — 10/5/26 – The U.S. Postal Service will observe Columbus Day on Monday, October 12. All Post Office locations will be closed. Regular mail delivery and retail services will resume on Tuesday, October 13.

Customers are reminded that when Post Offices are closed, they can still visit usps.com to order stamps and free USPS boxes, and to access services such as Hold Mail, Change of Address, PO Box rental or renewal, and Click-N-Ship to print pre-paid labels. In addition, self-service kiosks are available in select lobbies nationwide. These kiosks feature:

• Postage printing for Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express and international shipping;
• Stamps for purchase;
• Ability to weigh and mail packages; and
• Package tracking information.

As USPS modernizes its retail locations, more self-service options are becoming available at more locations and may include:

• Rapid Dropoff Stations for customers who have already created and printed labels online;
• An option for customers to print shipping labels from a merchant-provided QR code; and
• USPS Smart Lockers that allow customers to both drop off and pick up packages.

Many self-service kiosks are available 24/7, offering customers flexibility and convenience even when Post Offices are closed.

For more information on USPS services, visit www.usps.com.

The California Post Opinion Editor Joel Pollak says postal voting is so “open to fraud” with election interference.

Democrats have a vote by mail system that they control very tightly and it it’s subject to all kinds of funny games, funny games when the votes are counted. You know, you can compare the way signatures are counted on ballot petitions to the way votes are counted at the ballot box. It’s very very dodgy.

And there’s a voter ID referendum on the ballot this year in California, which would bring California into line with the rest of the states in requiring some form of identification when you vote. But it’s being opposed by Democrats and they’re telling all kinds of lies about it, you know, and and well, as a result, as a result, it’s not clear it’ll actually pass.

Even though if you if you poll people even in California and say, “Should people show ID to vote?” 80% of the voters will say yes. But then you tell them Republicans want people to show ID to vote and then it becomes a 50/50 question. That’s how strong the party loyalty is.

Florida: David Armeda, 38, was charged with criminal mischief and removing mail from a depo or a carrier.

Lottery winner mailed winning ticket to relative for funeral expenses, authorities say

BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. — A United States Postal Service employee from Broward County is facing multiple felony charges after investigators say she stole a winning Florida Lottery ticket from the mail and fraudulently claimed a $2,600 prize.

According to the Florida Lottery, the case stemmed from a joint investigation by the agency’s Division of Security and the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General.

Investigators said the investigation began after a Florida Lottery player reported that a winning Pick 4 ticket she mailed through the U.S. Postal Service never arrived at its intended destination.

According to an arrest report, the winning ticket was purchased at a Publix store in Tampa and was worth $2,600. Because the prize exceeded the $599 maximum payout that can be claimed at a lottery retailer, the terminal instructed that the ticket be returned to the player, investigators said.

They said the winner later mailed the ticket to a relative in Fort Lauderdale to help pay for another person’s funeral expenses, but the ticket was never successfully delivered.

A Florida Lottery inspector determined the ticket was instead redeemed June 19 at the Florida Lottery’s Miami District Office by 28-year-old Lakaysha Kenya Lockhart. Investigators later identified Lockhart as a USPS letter carrier assigned to the Oakland Park post office.

According to her arrest report, Lockhart, who has listed addresses in Lauderhill and Hollywood, “was not known to, approved or authorized by the ticket owner” to redeem the winning ticket.

Authorities said Florida Lottery special agents and USPS OIG investigators conducted a joint operation that led to Lockhart’s arrest on July 23. They said Lockhart admitted after her arrest to stealing the winning lottery ticket and redeeming it at the Miami District office. Read more