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Austin T. Mahan, 44, of Cape May Court House, was working at the Sea Isle and Somers Point facilities when he used postal service credit cards at retail stores in and around New Jersey over a six-month period beginning in 2022, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.
"These purchases included thousands of dollars’ worth of gift cards as well as various home décor items, home renovation materials, power and handheld tools, tool storage equipment, and other personal items," the U.S. attorney said.
The total, he said: $54,356.
Mahan, whose resume says he began working for the postal service in 2011, charged more than $11,000 at three stores in a single two-day span through 44 online and in-person purchases, according to a complaint filed in federal court in Camden.He wasn't always working while doing it, the complaint says. Mahan spent more than $9,000 during two federal holidays and six other off days, it says.
Mahan took a deal from the government rather than risk the potential outcome of a trial, pleading guilty on Monday, May 13, to misappropriating more than $1,000 in postal funds.
U.S. District Judge Christine P. O’Hearn scheduled sentencing for Sept. 25 in Camden.
Sellinger credited agents of the U.S. Postal Service's Office of Inspector General Northeast Area Field Office with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara A. Aliabadi of his Special Prosecutions Division in Camden is handling the case for the government.
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