New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
A former postal employee pleaded guilty today to embezzling over $22,000 from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).
Dennis Reis, 37, of Taunton, pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement and theft of public money, property or records before U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper, who scheduled sentencing for April 25, 2018.
Reis had been employed by the USPS since approximately 2000, and was the Lead Sales & Service Associate at the East Taunton Post Office since 2014. In that capacity, Reis sold stamps to customers and maintained accountability for the funds and stamp stock. From January 2015 to March 2017, Reis engaged in a scheme to embezzle funds by voiding cash transaction sales of stamps so that the system did not account for the cash paid by customers. Reis then entered a “no sale” transaction into the system, causing the cash drawer to open and taking the cash paid by customers for his own use. Through this scheme, Reis embezzled at least $22,773 from the USPS.
The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
