Dean Hudson, Postal Worker, Gets 5 Months For Stealing Kids' Birthday Cash

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A Northern California postal worker has been sentenced to five months in federal prison for stealing money from children's birthday cards.

Twenty-nine-year-old Dean Hudson, of East Linda, was ordered to serve five months of home detention after his release from prison. He also must pay nearly $3,000 in restitution.

Hudson pleaded guilty in May to opening mail at the U.S. Postal Service facility in Olivehurst and taking money that was included in children's birthday cards.

Postal Service inspectors began an investigation after residents in Chico reported receiving mail that had been opened.

U.S. District Judge Edward Garcia sentenced Hudson on Friday.

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Information from: Appeal-Democrat, http://www.appeal-democrat.com

Comments

[RandomMandarin]

I'm a letter carrier for the Postal Service, and I'll tell you what I tell customers:

Sure, someone working for us might steal your card/check­s/valuable­s. But sooner or later they WILL get caught. The Postal inspectors have plenty of experience finding thieves. (They probably planted something tempting and waited to see what happened next; I'm not giving away secrets, this is common knowledge. They probably have plenty of methods I never heard about, too.) This particular perp stole the equivalent of a few paychecks and screwed himself out of a good career.

In other words, your mail is pretty safe with us, as long as you remember nobody is infallible.

Me, I worry more about Wall Streeters who steal fifty million and get away with it.

[turfkiller]

Small town Lemont in the 1930's. Employee who stole an aluminum coffee pot from work received 5 years and a day. Township employees who stole all the trucks, tractors, office equipment and emptied the bank accounts got a year and a day.

Today, banking and financial management no longer feeling like they are part of this country nearly destroy the world's financial system bankrupting millions of Americans and they get golden parachutes and easy retirements.

This is what is wrong with this country.

[Sirdi]

That's just one thing.

[Gasparilla]

I'm retired, but there was a contract carrier stealing DVDs. Naturally, people complained, they narrowed it to one route and his house got raided and they found marked ones. I also knew of a UPS driver who stole a five thousand dollar watch, sold it for a couple hundred and ended up fired and going to jail. Like you say, the risks are not even close to worth it.

[kudzumaster]

My mail gets dumped in the rain, in the road, at the wrong address. It comes opened, torn, damaged. Many items never arrive. Complaints to the postmaster get me nowhere--in fact, I get retaliated against by the postman refusing to deliver my mail at all. Bags of mail have been discovered dumped in ditches. This is a community wide problem--it is not just me. So what are my options?

[jtj]

UPS

[HekmabaJuzimax]

You actually do have several options. Firstly, you should write to the Postmaster General of the United States, using this address:

Dear Postmaster General,
P.O. 66601 Dead Letter Office
Washington D.C. 66601
Suite 666, Cubicle 8

If that doesn't work, you can always bag one of the letter carriers for interrogation. Be sure to use heavy gauge black canvas acquiring bags -- please, no plastic -- and tie the supplied cord securely. Before interrogating, make sure to purchase the official Government Employee's Interrogation Kit, available at the Main Post Office in your state. In your case that would be Saskatchewan.

[Gasparilla]

kudzu, maybe your profile says it all. "all around flake".

[Bee]

About time one of them got caught. They need to investigate central PA too. If you send a handwritten envelope, they make a little hole in the top corner and look inside for cash. If you do need to send cash for any reason, make sure you get signature or delivery confirmation.

[csmcmillion]

It's also a federal offense to send used panties through the mail, which a SC college student learned the hard way.

[sparkey]

I would think it would depend on whether a male or female used them last.

[adsandiego]

what kind of low life steals from kids on their birthdays ???

[macweenie]

Didn't you ever read the beloved childrens book "the Grinch that Delivered Mail for the U.S. Postal Service"? It's one of Dr. Suesses minor works.

[samjung23]

HEHEHEEHHE I KNOW!

[Sirdi]

It was a few days before their birthdays.­..

Oh, and the answer? Postal Worker.