Postal service worker stole cell phones from the mail and resold them in NJ, feds say
A U.S. postal service worker was caught stealing cell phones from the mail and reselling the devices in New Jersey, according to federal prosecutors.
Nyasia Hutchinson, 26, of Jersey City, admitted to stealing up to 20 phones, including iPhones, from packages coming through a U.S. post office in Elizabeth where she worked, court documents show.
Hutchinson would then seal the empty packages with tape and have them sent back out in the mail, prosecutors say.
Now Hutchinson faces a potential maximum sentence of up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine after pleading guilty to one count of theft of mail by a postal employee on Sept. 12, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.
McClatchy News contacted Hutchinson’s attorney for comment on Sept. 13 and was awaiting a response.
Beginning in May 2018 through December of that year, a coworker of Hutchinson removed the cell phones from packages and gave them to her at the Elizabeth Post Office, according to the release.
Then, after Hutchinson placed the empty packages back into the mail stream, she sold the stolen devices and pocketed the money, prosecutors say.
The stolen iPhones and other devices were worth at least $12,246, court documents state.
Hutchinson “abused a position of public or private trust,” her plea agreement states.
A judge set Hutchinson’s bail at $25,000 on Sept. 12 ahead of her sentencing, according to court records.
Her sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 31, the release says.
Elizabeth is roughly 15 miles west of New York City.
This story was originally published September 13, 2022 at 10:12 AM with the headline "Postal service worker stole cell phones from the mail and resold them in NJ, feds say."
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