2 Lakewood postal employees under separate mail theft investigations

LAKEWOOD -- Two Lakewood post office employees are under separate investigations on suspicion of mail theft, Denver7 Investigates confirmed.

The internal investigations began in December during the holiday mailing rush.

The allegations involve stolen letters such as Christmas cards that may have had gift cards or cash inside.

The U.S. Post Office’s Inspector General confirmed Friday it received allegations of possible theft at the Lakewood post office on Alameda Avenue and identified two "persons of interest."

The investigation is ongoing, and no one has been arrested, but the USPS OIG spokesman said investigators will submit findings to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for “review and prosecutorial consideration.”

The USPS OIG said mail theft is a federal crime that carries a potential sentence of up to five years in prison.

A USPS spokesperson told Denver7 Investigates that the employees have been on "non-working status" since the start of the investigations. They declined to release more information about the employees citing their privacy policy.

The USPS OIG is asking anyone with information about theft from the Lakewood post office to call 1-888-USPS-OIG (1-888-877-7644).

Investigators said they have interviewed both of the "persons of interest" and are conducting separate investigations on each employee.

“The U.S. Postal Service employs more than 522,000 employees and is the largest civilian federal workforce in the country. This type of alleged behavior within the Postal Service is not tolerated and 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 USPS OIG told Denver7 Investigates in a statement. 

Jace Larson is an award-winning investigative reporter for Denver7 Investigates. If you have a story idea or a tip for Jace, email or text him at jace@thedenverchannel.com or 720-270-1468. You can remain anonymous. Connect with Jace on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.