The inscription on the New York City General Post Office is actually, Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. Yet one postman serving the Bronx is, I assume, on administrative leave. He’s accused of being one of the individuals involved in a $40 million tax refund theft scheme.
As reported by the New York Daily News, the scheme began in the Dominican Republic. Thousands of tax returns were transmitted using social security numbers stolen from residents of Puerto Rico. The refunds, for amounts from $2,000 to $32,000, totaled $32 million. The mailman, Lacy Bethea, allegedly agreed to take $100 per refund that he gave to his cutout (rather than delivering it to the address shown on the refund). Both the mailman and his cutout appear to have cooperated with the FBI. Also involved in the arrests were police in the Dominican Republic.
The ringleaders are looking at very long stays at ClubFed if found guilty. It’s unclear what tipped off the IRS to the fraud, but I’m all for stopping such shenanigans.