Former Postal Worker Admits Stealing Gifts Cards from the Mail

CAPE GIRARDEAU - A former U.S. Postal Service letter carrier on Tuesday admitted stealing gift cards from the mail.

Joseph S. Wilkins, 56, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of embezzlement of mail by a U.S. Postal Service employee. Wilkins admitted stealing approximately 10 to 12 gift cards from customers' mail between December 2023 and April 2024. Wilkins made personal purchases with the cards, which had a total value of approximately $500.

The investigation began after someone in California mailed a Christmas card containing two Amazon gift cards to a home in Cape Girardeau. The card never arrived. An investigation conducted by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General revealed that Wilkins, a city carrier at the Cape Carrier Annex in Cape Girardeau, had used the gift cards.

In a later interview, Wilkins told investigators that he manipulated customer mail to identify any gift cards inside.

Wilkins is scheduled to be sentenced on March 11, 2025. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.

The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton is prosecuting the case.