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OCALA, Fla. — A Florida employee for the U.S. Postal Service is facing federal charges for allegedly stealing mail intended for a retirement community.
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Miranda Delee Farleigh of Ocala, Florida, was a contracted employee who delivered mail for the U.S. Postal Service, according to the criminal complaint filed in court. Farleigh was responsible for delivering mail to The Villages, a retirement community in central Florida, among other areas.
Investigators say Farleigh’s mother, who is also a letter carrier, contacted the postmaster after finding tubs and bags of mail that had been opened in her daughter’s bedroom, NBC News reported. Farleigh’s father is also a contract letter carrier.
Investigators said Farleigh admitted to rifling through the mail, looking for greeting cards to steal money and gift cards, USA Today reported.
Postal inspectors said in the criminal complaint that they determined approximately 4,000 pieces of mail had been rifled through, and nearly all appeared to have contained a holiday or greeting card. In the complaint, investigators said “Farleigh confessed that while she had been working in the official capacity as a mail carrier, she had targeted the outgoing mail that was dropped off by residents in The Villages. She advised she also had driven to nearby postal station mail rooms that were not on her route, entered the mail rooms, and stolen the outgoing mail.”
Farleigh allegedly told investigators she stole the money because she had an addiction to heroin, according to the criminal complaint.
Investigators have not said how much money in cash or gift cards may have been stolen, NBC News reported.
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