New bill would crack down on USPS mail theft

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis is taking a stand against mail theft following an increase in checks stolen from New York City post offices and mailboxes

The Republican congresswoman from Staten Island and Queens Rep. Grace Meng, a Democrat, introduced the USPS Subpoena Authority Act, which seeks to give the U.S. Postal Service the ability to crack down on postal crime.

“Mail theft and check fraud not only violate an individual’s privacy and security but also threaten the integrity of our financial and postal systems as a whole,” said Malliotakis. “By giving USPS the tools and resources necessary to quickly gather information and prosecute the criminal organizations responsible, we help to protect the financial well-being of our constituents and send a clear message that this type of criminal behavior will no longer be tolerated.”

If passed, the act would allow USPS to seek administrative subpoenas that would help it collect more data related to financial fraud that is commonly associated with mail theft.

The data could include bank records and surveillance videos that would be used to build mail-theft cases against people charged by a prosecutor.

“From stolen checks to other financial fraud, I have heard from many constituents who have been victims of despicable mail crimes that have resulted in them losing their hard-earned money, and increasing their chances of identity theft, bad credit ratings, and other negative impacts,” said Meng. “Congress must ensure that the Postal Service has all the resources it needs to stop thieves from stealing mail, and this legislation to give USPS the power to more effectively go after organized mail theft syndicates would be another crucial tool for the agency to use in addressing the problem. I thank Congresswoman Malliotakis for partnering with me on this effort.”

MAIL THEFTS

According to the U.S. Treasury, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network found a 161% increase in mail theft complaints from 2020 to 2021. In 2022, reports related to check fraud reached over 680,000.

Last September, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York apprehended nine individuals in connection to a $1.3 million scheme that stole credit cards from the mail in order to defraud banks, credit card companies, and retailers.

In March, two Staten Islanders were among four people arrested in Connecticut after allegedly being nabbed with a van full of stolen mail and checks, according to a report by Patch.com.