Okolona mail dumping allegation leads to USPS employee's resignation

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Complaints about missing mail in the Okolona area have led to a federal investigation, and now, a United States Postal Service employee has resigned.

The USPS Office of Inspector General confirmed an allegation of mail dumping was made at the Okolona Post Office last week. Several residents recently said they haven't received mail in weeks and worry it may be connected to the incident.

"I hope mine wasn't in there," Terry Herp, a postal customer, said outside the Okolona branch Tuesday.

According to the OIG, mail was found inside an employee's personal vehicle parked on postal property. The name of the employee hasn't been released because no criminal charges have been filed.

"The Postal Service employs more than 625,113 employees and is the largest civilian federal workforce in the country," Charlene Cerra, a spokesperson with the OIG, said in a written statement. "This type of behavior within the Postal Service is not tolerated and is a rare occurrence. It is important for the public we serve to know the overwhelming majority of Postal Service employees are honest, hardworking, and trustworthy individuals who would never consider engaging in any type of criminal behavior.

"As an independent federal agency, the Postal Service provides delivery service that visits every address in the nation. The Postal Service delivers more than 154.2 billion pieces of mail yearly to 155 million delivery points and operates 31,606 Postal Service managed retail offices. America's postal system is one of the government's most trusted entities.

"The USPS OIG considers allegations of mail dumping by any Postal Service employee to be a very serious issue. When such allegations are made, USPS OIG Special Agents vigorously investigate those allegations, as we did in this instance." She confirmed the employee resigned after being questioned by agents.

Cerra said the United States Attorney’s Office will make a decision on whether that former employee will face criminal charges.

The office says the federal statute for mail dumping is called "Delay of Mail." If convicted, penalties for violating this law include fines and prison for up to year.

It remains unclear how much mail was found in the employee's car, what will happen to it now or when it will be delivered.

"You can't blame the overall system because one or two people are messing up," Elwood Johnson, a postal customer, said outside the Okolona branch Tuesday.

Officials said this incident is unrelated to ongoing federal audits at four Louisville-area USPS locations. Those audits — focusing on mail delays and efficiency — are expected to be completed in June. They include the distribution center on Gardiner Lane, as well as the Pleasure Ridge Park branch, Middletown branch, and Iroquois Station.

Danny Chapman, a postal customer, said he experienced delays in the past, though service has improved recently.

"... not getting checks on time or bills on time, causing me to have some delays in getting my bills paid over mail delays and efficiency," Chapman said.

A USPS service performance map from the first quarter of fiscal year 2025 shows Kentucky — grouped with West Virginia — ranks as the 10th-worst region in the country for on-time delivery of first-class mail, with just 77.5% arriving on time.

There is no word yet on when the OIG investigation will be completed.

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