Robert Kuss Admits to Stealing $749,573 from USPS

Robert Kuss, 54, of Cheshire, Connecticut, has admitted to stealing $749,573 from the U.S. Postal Service through a brazen mail fraud scheme that spanned nearly two years. The managing partner of Creative Marketing Group, LLC (CMG), Kuss pleaded guilty in Hartford federal court yesterday to one count of mail fraud, waiving his right to indictment.

Kuss exploited his company’s Permit Imprint bulk mailing permit, which allows businesses to print postage directly onto envelopes instead of using stamps or meter impressions. Instead of following proper protocol, he falsified U.S. Postal Service Form 8125 (PS 8125 Form), making it appear as if bulk mailings had been verified and paid for at the Bristol Post Office’s Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU). They had not.

Between July 2014 and March 2016, Kuss delivered at least 125 fraudulent bulk mailings to USPS facilities across the country. By forging verification stamps and fabricating mailing details—including permit numbers, piece counts, and weights—he bypassed payment entirely. In total, he shipped 3,260,183 pieces of mail without paying a dime in postage.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service found that Kuss never brought the mailings to the BMEU for inspection, nor were his accounts debited for the shipments. The USPS, relying on the authenticity of the forms, accepted the mailings in good faith—losing $749,573 in revenue as a result.

Mail fraud carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Kuss is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert Chatigny on April 17, 2017. Authorities stress that even white-collar schemes with seemingly invisible victims still erode public trust and drain taxpayer-funded services.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Pierpont, Jr. and John H. Durham are prosecuting the case. No co-conspirators have been named at this time.