United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

FORMER POSTAL CARRIER WHO STOLE MAIL IS SENTENCED

Nora R. Dannehy, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that EILEEN M. DINTO, 49, of Main Street, Torrington, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Mark R. Kravitz in New Haven to three years of probation.  On December 5, 2008, DINTO pleaded guilty to one count of theft of mail matter.

According to documents filed in Court and statements made in court, in approximately February 2007, pursuant to several consumer complaints regarding the claimed failure of receipt of gift cards, cash, and a money order contained within mailed greeting cards, the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, initiated an investigation.  The investigation subsequently revealed that, DINTO, while employed full-time as a postal carrier in Torrington, opened and stole the contents of mail that she was charged with delivering on her mail route.

In May 2007, surveillance video recordings depicted DINTO opening letters and removing the contents while inside of her assigned postal vehicle.  On June 5, 2007, investigators confronted DINTO, at which time she acknowledged the theft of approximately $1000 in cash and scratch-off lottery tickets from mail envelopes over an approximately six-month period, at a rate of five to 10 pieces of mail per day.

DINTO, who has resigned from her employment at the United States Postal Service, is required to make restitution to the known victims of her theft.

This case was investigated by agents of the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Deborah R. Slater.

CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov