Postal Worker Accused Of Stealing $630,000 Worth Of Stamps

Newly printed rolls of stamps await packaging at the United States Treasury Bureau of Engraving and Printing facility

A manager at a United Postal Service branch in Kenner, Louisiana has been accused of stealing $630,000 worth of stamps and then reselling them online. Police arrested Ryan S. Cortez and charged him with misappropriation of postal funds or property.

Authorities were tipped off to Cortez's illegal side business by PayPal and eBay after they noticed he was selling "significant quantities" of stamps.

Cortez used the money he made to fund his gambling habit. Investigators discovered he made multiple cash withdrawals from Harrah's casino in New Orleans. They also learned that he had lost $670,000 since 2011, losing $220,000 in just 2017 alone. 

The stamp theft is "one of the largest internal Postal theft by a Postal Service employee in the history of the U.S. Postal Service."

Cortez was also accused of embezzling thousands of dollars from the Des Allemands Mennonite Church.

He faces a maximum penalty of ten years imprisonment, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000.00 fine.

Photo: Getty Images


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