Authorities arrested and charged a mail carrier in Miami, Florida, for stealing one mail-in ballot and 36 political flyers, among over a hundred other pieces of mail, the Miami Herald reported.
Crystal Nicole Myrie, a 31-year-old postal worker, was also charged with stealing 4 pre-paid debit cards, 10 gift cards and 150 other pieces of mail found in her car, according to the Miami Herald. Myrie had her first court appearance Monday, the report added.
From Oct. 5 to 16, Myrie “embezzled letters, postal cards and mail which came into her possession intended to be carried or delivered by her,” according to the complaint filed by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, per the report.
A U.S. Postal Service carrier has been arrested on charges of stealing one Miami-Dade County mail-in ballot that was sent to a Miami Beach resident earlier this month, federal authorities said Monday. https://t.co/jXwvhILUrL
— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) October 19, 2020
Postal inspector agents interviewed Myrie Oct. 6, where she confirmed she had stolen the mail, the Herald reported. Agents then went with Myrie to her car to collect her post office identification.
“Upon approaching the vehicle, [one agent] observed, in plain view through a rear window, several postal service satchels containing white envelopes in the back seat of Myrie’s personal vehicle,” according to the complaint. “Myrie is not authorized to deliver mail from her personal vehicle.”
One of envelopes contained a ballot that was sent to a Miami Beach resident Oct. 8, the Herald reported.
“By stealing [the victim’s] vote-by-mail ballot, Myrie deprived [the victim] of her right to vote,” the complaint said. Upon further questioning, Myrie “admitted that she has been stealing mail sporadically [on her route] for almost two years.”