Rep. Stefanik: USPS Employees Stole 20K in Campaign Checks

U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., has accused U.S. Postal Service employees of stealing nearly $20,000 in campaign contributions sent through the mail.

In a letter sent Thursday to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, Stefanik's legal team at the D.C. law firm Wiley Rein LLP claimed that on four occasions between June and November, packages sent to Stefanik's campaign, Elise for Congress, "containing campaign contributions were ripped open and the contents stolen while in the custody of USPS or its contractors."

"Three of these incidents occurred in a single week," the letter said. "In each case, the evidence indicates that Elise for Congress's packages were plundered by a USPS employee or contractor while the packages were in transit. These repeated security failures by USPS have not only resulted in the loss of nearly $20,000 in campaign contributions, but also — and more alarmingly — have exposed hundreds of Congresswoman Stefanik's campaign supporters to potential identity theft or financial fraud."

Stefanik's office provided Newsmax with photographic evidence of mail returned by the USPS that had been torn open. Also provided was a letter from the Postal Inspection Service that said a returned parcel was part of a mail theft investigation occurring at the FedEx hub in Memphis, Tennessee.

Stefanik was reelected as chair of the House Republican Conference after easily winning reelection in New York's 21st Congressional District. Her legal team demands the USPS provide by Dec. 8 a list of what the USPS has done to investigate the thefts; what steps it will take to make sure Stefanik will not be the victim of mail theft again; and a list of actions the USPS will take to better prevent, detect and prosecute mail theft in her district and nationwide.

"Congresswoman Stefanik and her campaign supporters are not the only Americans who have been victimized by mail theft," the letter said. "Mail theft is rampant in the United States, and [the] USPS appears unwilling or unable to effectively deter or prevent it."

Stefanik's office declined to comment on whether any checks had been cashed.

USPS spokesman David Partenheimer said the agency received Stefanik's letter "and we will respond to the sender directly with our findings on this investigative matter."

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