Pike USPS employees, including former postmaster, charged with misappropriation of funds

The former postmaster of the Pikeville Post Office and an employee were indicted last week in separate cases, charging they misappropriated U.S. Postal Service funds.

According to court documents, a federal grand jury handed down indictments against Misty Dawn Collins, the former postmaster of the Pikeville Post Office, as well as against Wendy Smallwood, who allegedly committed the crime while employed as a PSE sales, service/distribution associate with the Postal Service.

According to the indictment against Collins, between March 2014, and Nov. 6, 2014, Collins did, “unlawfully loan, use, pledge, hypothecate, embezzle and convert to her own use money and property coming into her own hands and under her control in the execution of her employment with the Postal Service.”

According to U.S. Postal Service records, Collins was named officer-in-charge of the Pikeville Post Office in 2009, then was named postmaster in August 2011.

Smallwood, the indictment said, committed similar acts to that of Collins, but the alleged misappropriation in Smallwood’s case allegedly occurred between August 2014, and October, 2015.

The amount of misappropriation in both cases, the indictment said, totaled more than $1,000.

Both Collins and Smallwood are scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Pikeville at 10:30 a.m., June 5, for initial appearances.

If convicted of the charges, according to the indictment, both women face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

This story was originally published May 28, 2017 at 9:54 AM with the headline "Pike USPS employees, including former postmaster, charged with misappropriation of funds."