~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~--------------------- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~--------------------- UNITED STATES MTE Hotline: 1-866-330-3404 EMAIL : hqmte@usps.gov |
The U.S. Postal Service has issued a warning for anyone who may be using a plastic postal tub for personal use - you could go to jail.
Some people may not realize that it is illegal to posses a postal tub for their own use. The tubs are federal property and belong to the Postal Service.
Officials estimate the Postal Service spends about $50 million a year to replace stolen equipment.
"It is essential we have this equipment to accept, sort and move the mail within the processing network. We need this to process the mail to get it out to our customers," said Holly Patterson, with the U.S. Postal Service.
Many of the tubs are left full of mail at area businesses to be emptied and returned the next day.
"Postal inspectors will be stopping by area businesses looking for these. Of course, you have already been warned on the side here, this is federal property. And keeping one has a stiff penalty," Patterson said.
The maximum penalty includes three years imprisonment and a $1,000 fine, but all it takes to avoid punishment is returning the tubs promptly.
Postal Inspector Victoria Fussell of the San Francisco Division initiated a criminal investigation of a California company after finding USPS pallets at a recycling plant loaded with what appeared to be mail matter. |
MTE Recovery Efforts by Postal Inspectors Save USPS Millions of Dollars
Every year, the Postal Service spends millions of dollars to replace Mail Transport Equipment (MTE) that leaks out of the Postal Service network. With pallets costing up to $20 each, letter trays up to $2.75 per tray and tubs costing around $4 each, losses add up quickly. Replacing missing equipment cost the Postal Service $50 million last year.
To help the Postal Service reel in wayward equipment and to prosecute violators, Postal Inspectors launched the Equipment Recovery Project in 2008. Since then, Inspectors have recovered almost 200,000 pieces of MTE, including pallets, trays and tubs, worth more than $4 million. The items were reclaimed from businesses ranging from a New England fish market to California recycling firms.
Criminal prosecution for theft or misuse of postal property, a federal crime that carries a penalty of up to 3 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000, was also initiated in several cases.
Individuals who are aware of the misuse of postal equipment are encouraged to contact the Postal Inspection Service at (877.876.2455) or the mail transport equipment recovery hotline (866.330.3404) and email address (hqmte@usps.gov).
Forget about it.
“No reasonable prosecutor would indict.”
Because no reasonable prosecutor wants to wind up “sleeping with the fishes.”
It would be hysterical if the Postmaster received thousands of EMails with the photo attached. But Obama will pardon her, so what is the use?