Two Pittsburgh-Area Mail Carriers Federally Charged After Allegedly Dumping Bags Of Undelivered Mail In Trash
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Two Pittsburgh-area mail carriers have been charged with delay or destruction of mail by a postal employee, U.S. Attorney Scott Brady announced Wednesday.
A one-count criminal complaint names Sean Troesch and a second criminal complaint names James McLenigan.
Special agents from the United States Postal Service raided Troesch's home in Baldwin on Sunday night, confiscating nine garbage bags after a tip said he was taking mail from his vehicle and placing it into the bags, according to the criminal complaint. When agents arrived, they asked Troesch if the bags contained mail and he said one did, the complaint says.
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He later admitted that all the bags contained mail, and four items of mail were found in his personal vehicle, the complaint says.
An inventory of the mail from Troesch's vehicle and bags found 314 items of first-class mail, seven items of certified mail, one item of priority mail and 1,311 political advertisements or similar items of campaign mail, the complaint says. The seized mail did not contain any mail-in ballots but it did contain one mail-in ballot application.
McLenigan is accused of throwing out undelivered mail outside the Persad Center in Lawrenceville. KDKA's Andy Sheehan previously reported that the center's operations coordinator, Tony Kuhar, kept finding mail in the trash. He checked his surveillance cameras and saw a mail carrier allegedly throwing away other bundles after delivering mail to the center.
The criminal complaint says investigators interviewed McLenigan on Oct. 8 about the mail recovered from the trash outside the center and he admitted to throwing mail away.
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The criminal complaint says they recovered 75 items of first-class mail and 25 items of political advertisements or similar items of campaign mail. The seized mail did not contain any mail-in ballots but it did contain one mail-in ballot application.
Troesch works out of the Mt. Oliver post office, while McLenigan works out of the Bloomfield post office. Both men face up to five years in jail and a $250,000 fine.
The feds say all the mail recovered has now been delivered.
