Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date.

A former mail carrier outside Atlanta has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for stealing more than $1 million in checks and gift cards from her own delivery route.

Getting into it: According to the DOJ, Melissa McAfee, 44, of Jonesboro, worked a route in the Smyrna area from August 2022 to September 2024. The USPS Office of Inspector General opened an investigation after customers kept complaining that their mail was disappearing. Investigators pulled surveillance footage showing her taking mail while on duty, and a search of her home turned up 145 checks, 37 gift cards, and a stack of emptied envelopes. In total, prosecutors put her haul at 171 checks with a combined value north of $1,035,000. When agents confronted her in September 2024, she resigned.

She pleaded guilty to one count of possession of stolen mail on May 14, 2026. The sentence handed down this week also carries two years of supervised release, along with restitution in an amount that has not been disclosed.

In a statement, US Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said, “Mail carriers are entrusted with the responsibility of handling citizens’ valuable and personal communications, but McAfee abused that trust by stealing more than 200 checks and gift cards. My office works closely with our federal partners to aggressively prosecute any federal employee who misuses public office for private gain.”

Jonathan Ulrich, special agent in charge of the USPS Office of Inspector General, said the sentence “sends a strong message to anyone who thinks mail theft and check fraud will go unpunished,” and that his agents will keep pursuing these cases to protect the sanctity of the mail.

This comes as the US Postal Service reported that roughly 60 million packages were stolen in 2024 alone, with losses running somewhere between $5.2 billion and $16 billion.