Ex-postal worker pleads guilty to mail theft

McALLEN — A former U.S. Postal Service carrier pleaded guilty Tuesday to stealing a watch from a package set for delivery on his route.

Uvaldo Ramirez Jr., 45, of Mission, also admitted to taking several previous items from parcels between 2008 and 2009, federal prosecutors said.

Agents with the U.S. Postal Service's Office of the Inspector General arrested Ramirez in May after a grand jury indicted him on one count each of mail theft and mail destruction.

As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, Ramirez pleaded guilty to the first charge and agreed to pay restitution to his victims.

He now faces up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines at a sentencing hearing scheduled for Oct. 2.

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Jeremy Roebuck covers courts and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4437.