A 22-year-old U.S. Postal Service carrier in northeast Colorado is suspected of hoarding roughly 26,000 pieces of undelivered mail and also destroying and opening other letters, post cards, packages and bags.
Tayson Adam Hidalgo, of Sterling, is accused of stealing so much mail that authorities in the rural, northeast corner of the state have called a town hall to brief citizens.
Federal prosecutors believe he gathered the items over more than 500 days between October 2014 and April of this year.
Hidalgo has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on one count of delay or destruction of mail. The accusation carries with it a prison sentence of up to five years, a maximum fine of $250,000 and possible restitution.
“This type of behavior within the Postal Service is not tolerated,” Joanne Yarbrough, executive special agent in charge of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, said in a statement. “The overwhelming majority of Postal Service employees, which serve the public, are honest, hardworking, and trustworthy individuals who would never consider engaging in any type of criminal behavior.”
The indictment was handed down on Tuesday.
“Approximately 26,000 pieces of undelivered mail was located during this investigation,” Colorado’s U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a Friday news release. “The recovered mail was addressed to residents within the city limits of Sterling … and several local postal routes in Fort Morgan.”
Investigators did not elaborate on where the mail was found and a three-page indictment against Hidalgo did not provide further details on the case.
The town hall meeting is set for Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. at Sterling Middle School, where authorities say attendees with be briefed about the investigation into Hidalgo and when the seized mail will be delivered to its intended recipients.
The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General worked with Sterling police to investigate Hidalgo.
Anyone who believes they are a victim in the case is asked to visit Colorado’s U.S. Attorney’s Office website at justice.gov/usao-co for case updates.
