John R. Elbayeh, Mail Theft, New York 2023

Ex-postal worker John R. Elbayeh, 44, of Albany, New York, has been sentenced to 6 months in jail, followed by 2 years of supervised release, for stealing $50,362.22 worth of valuable items from mailed packages.

John R. Elbayeh, aka Jean Elbayeh, was a lead mail processing clerk at the USPS Processing and Distribution Center in Albany from December 2012 through December 2018. He admitted to stealing the items, including iPhones and gold coins, for approximately 2 years, and then pawning them for a total of $50,362.22.

Elbayeh’s crimes came to light after he was interviewed by federal agents in December 2018. Shortly after, he took a one-way flight to Beirut, Lebanon, and remained outside the United States until October 17, 2019. On that date, USPS-OIG Agents arrested him at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, where Elbayeh had just arrived from a flight originating in Cairo, Egypt.

USPS-OIG Agents arrested Elbayeh at Dulles International Airport on October 17, 2019, and he had been in custody since then. The case was investigated by the USPS, Office of the Inspector General, with assistance from the United States Postal Inspection Service, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Area for the United States Postal Service (USPS), Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

Elbayeh’s sentence is a result of his crimes, which included stealing Apple iPhones, gold coins, small gold bars, and other valuable items from mailed packages while employed as a postal clerk. This case is a reminder of the importance of holding public officials accountable for their actions.

The case is a significant victory for the USPS-OIG and the United States Attorney’s Office, and serves as a reminder of the importance of vigilance in preventing and detecting crimes committed by public officials.

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