LYNN — A Lynn postal carrier pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to stealing mail and using it to make more than $16,000 in fraudulent purchases and ATM withdrawals, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.
Angela Gomez, 40, was charged with one count of mail theft by an employee in connection with the fraudulent transactions. As part of the plea agreement, Gomez agreed to pay restitution to the victims.
Gomez was arrested in November 2020 after postal inspectors were informed that customers in Lynn had reported mail as missing. One USPS customer said that an expected Lilly Pulitzer gift card never arrived in the mail. An investigation revealed that Gomez, a USPS city carrier assistant, handled that particular customer’s route, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.
Records showed that the gift card was used in January 2020 for purchases, which were delivered to Gomez’s then-home address. The documents showed that the corresponding email address for the deliveries belonged to Gomez. And surveillance conducted of Gomez at work showed her stealing mail on 21 separate occasions, prosecutors said.
Agents were contacted by an Eastern Bank fraud investigator looking into a series of unauthorized ATM withdrawals and debit card purchases made from three separate accounts, all of which belonged to individuals who resided on the carrier route to which Gomez was previously assigned, prosecutors said.
Security camera footage related to some of the unauthorized debit card purchases — including at Walmart and Target shopping centers — showed Gomez making purchases with debit cards from the three compromised Eastern Bank accounts, prosecutors said.
ATM and bank security camera videos from Eastern Bank also showed Gomez making unauthorized cash withdrawals from the three accounts. In total, about $16,587 was lost between the purchases and withdrawals, prosecutors said.
Gomez also stole $4,800 of U.S. Treasury Economic Impact Payment (EIP) checks, also known as stimulus checks, which were intended for delivery to four USPS customers who lived on Gomez’s carrier route, prosecutors said.
In total, Gomez stole $21,387 in fraudulent debit card purchases, ATM withdrawals and stimulus checks.
Gomez faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 2.
