Two sisters in New York have pleaded guilty to stealing from the US Postal Service, with a total loss of $16,906. Amanda Elliott, 35, of Ellington, and Tamara Elliott, 30, of Falconer, accepted cash payments from customers for postage stamps but kept the cash for personal use.
Between December 2012 and September 5, 2013, Amanda Elliott, the Postmaster Relief at the post office in Lily Dale, N.Y., stole $5,579.48 from the cash register. Her sister, Tamara Elliott, Postmaster Relief at the post office in Ellington, N.Y., stole $11,326.86 during the same period.
Tamara Elliott also rented post office boxes and sold money orders to customers, keeping the cash payments. The U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, Eastern Area Field Office, investigated the crimes.
The investigation was led by Special Agent in Charge Monica Weyler. Amanda Elliott and Tamara Elliott will be sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny at a later date.
The maximum sentence for misappropriation of postal service funds by a postal service employee is 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. The pleas are a culmination of the investigation, which revealed the extent of the sisters’ crimes.
Amanda Elliott and Tamara Elliott’s actions not only affected the financial stability of the US Postal Service but also eroded the public’s trust in the institution. The sisters’ guilty pleas serve as a reminder of the importance of accountability and transparency in public institutions.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York, under the leadership of U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr., handled the cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell T. Ippolito, Jr., prosecuted the cases, securing guilty pleas from the sisters.
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