TIME

Brooklyn Postal Worker Hoards 17,000 Pieces of Mail to Focus on ‘Important’ Deliveries

USPS
Photo by Smith Collection—Gado/Getty Images Close-up of logo on a United States Postal Service (USPS) mail truck with tagline reading 'We Deliver For You' driving down 2nd Avenue in Manhattan, New York City, New York, September 15, 2017.

He now faces federal charges

A seemingly overwhelmed postal worker was sitting on 17,000 pieces of mail so he could focus on delivering “important mail.” Now he faces federal charges.

The United States Postal Service received a tip about a Nissan Pathfinder with 20 bags of unopened mail, according to NBC. Aleksey Germash, 53, who owns the car, was brought in for questioning and admitted to keeping mail in his car, apartment and work locker.

Germash told investigators he was “overwhelmed by the amount of mail he had to deliver, but made sure to deliver the important mail.”

Among the 17,000 pieces of undelivered mail, one dated back to 2005, NBC reported. Germash has worked for the USPS for 16 years and was recently assigned to Dyker Heights Post Office in Brooklyn. He now faces federal charges. Unlawfully destroyed, detained or delayed post could warrant up to five years in prison, according to Newsweek. Improperly doing so could lead to up to a year in prison.

Tap to read full story

Your browser is out of date. Please update your browser at http://update.microsoft.com


YOU BROKE TIME.COM!

Dear TIME Reader,

As a regular visitor to TIME.com, we are sure you enjoy all the great journalism created by our editors and reporters. Great journalism has great value, and it costs money to make it. One of the main ways we cover our costs is through advertising.

The use of software that blocks ads limits our ability to provide you with the journalism you enjoy. Consider turning your Ad Blocker off so that we can continue to provide the world class journalism you have become accustomed to.

The TIME Team