Michael Adams, Theft of Government Property, Texas 2024

A Texas man employed by UPS at the time stole a package containing prescription pain medication sent by the Veterans Administration through the mail, federal authorities confirmed. Michael Adams, 52, of Horizon, Texas, pleaded guilty today in Las Cruces, N.M., to a federal misdemeanor charge of theft of government property—a crime he committed nearly a decade ago in Otero County.

Adams admitted during a change of plea hearing that on August 21, 2013, while working at the UPS facility in Alamogordo, N.M., he knowingly diverted and stole a package containing controlled painkillers destined for a veteran. The package was shipped via UPS under contract with the Department of Veterans Affairs, making the theft a federal offense.

Charged by misdemeanor information on December 12, 2016, Adams faced prosecution years after the incident. The delay underscores the persistent reach of federal investigators, particularly in cases tied to the opioid crisis. According to court documents, the theft occurred during a period of heightened vulnerability in the nation’s mail system, as pharmaceuticals increasingly became targets for internal theft.

Under the terms of his plea agreement, Adams will serve two years of probation and pay $537.54 in restitution to the victim agency. No prison time was recommended, but the conviction stands as a public record of betrayal—both of his employer and the veterans the VA serves. A formal sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.

The case was investigated by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of the Inspector General, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard C. Williams as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. Launched in January 2015, the HOPE Initiative unites law enforcement, health officials, and community groups to combat opioid-related crime and death across the state.

HOPE’s law enforcement arm, led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA, targets opioid diversion at every level—including theft by insiders in logistics and healthcare. This case, though classified as a misdemeanor, reflects a broader pattern of exploitation feeding the opioid epidemic. More information on the HOPE Initiative is available at HopeInitiativeNM.org.

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