Postal worker pleads guilty to stealing mail

McALLEN — A U.S. Postal Service contractor pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of mail theft, five months after he was first accused of pocketing packages along his route.

Manuel Saldivar, 37, of La Feria, told a federal judge he had taken at least three gift cards sent through the mail since December 2008.

Postal inspectors caught him during an undercover operation in March in which they sent several dummy pieces of mail containing gift cards to stores such as Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy. Three of those envelopes never reached their location, but the cards were later spent at stores in Harlingen, Weslaco and Alamo.

Using surveillance video from the locations, inspectors traced the purchases back to Saldivar. And when confronted, he admitted to taking the cards and several others, according to a criminal complaint filed in his case. Investigators also found several stolen pieces of mail including some of the dummy cards in his vehicle.

As part of his plea agreement Tuesday, Saldivar agreed to pay restitution of up to $1,500 for the items he stole. He will also face up to a five-year prison sentence and fines of up to $250,000 at a sentencing hearing scheduled for Nov. 30.

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