U.S. Postal Service employee charged for throwing out mail, including more than 100 absentee ballots
A United States Postal Service employee has been charged for destroying mail, including absentee ballots, which he allegedly threw in a dumpster, U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman announced on Monday. The 30-year-old man, identified as DeShawn Bojgere of Louisville, Kentucky, has been charged with the delay or destruction of mail, which is a federal crime.
Sometime between October 5 and October 15, Bojgere allegedly threw a "large quantity" of mail in a construction dumpster, including about 111 general election absentee ballots from the Jefferson County Clerk's Office that were being mailed for voters to fill out, according to the press release.
There were also about 69 mixed class pieces of flat rate mail, 320 second class pieces of mail, and two national election campaign flyers from a political party in Florida. The mail in the dumpster was from a single route for one scheduled delivery day.
Bojgere, who no longer works for the Postal Service, admitted to special agents that he was responsible for discarding the mail, according to the press release.
All of the mail has since been put back in the system for deliver, and copies have been made for evidence.
"Especially in these times, Americans depend on the reliability and integrity of those that deliver the U.S. Mail," Coleman said in the press release. "Conduct by Postal employees that violates that duty will result in swift federal prosecution."
Bojgere faces no more than five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and one year of supervised release after serving the sentence, if convicted.
There have been several other incidents of suspected absentee ballot interference, some involving ballot boxes.
On Monday, police in Boston announced a man was charged for allegedly lighting a ballot box on fire and damaging dozens of ballots. The Boston Election Department said 87 of the 122 ballots inside the dropbox were legible and able to be processed, but the rest were destroyed or unable to be counted. Worldly Armand, 39, was taken into custody late Sunday after officers matched his appearance with the description of a person wanted for the alleged arson, police said.
Earlier this month, a fire erupted in an official ballot drop box in Baldwin Park, California, prompting authorities to investigate the fire, which damaged several ballots, CBS Los Angeles reports. Arson was suspected.