Postal worker Gerome Fowler accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of Costco rebate checks from mail
BAY SHORE, N.Y. - Police say a letter carried for the U.S. Postal Service on Long Island has been secretly stealing mail for more than six months.
CBS2's Jennifer McLogan reports he's accused of taking checks from the Bay Shore post office.
Hundreds of loyal Costco customers are allegedly the unwitting victims of their trusted letter carrier. According to the Suffolk District Attorney, 32-year-old postal worker Gerome Fowler is accused of stealing neighborhood mail, and cashing valuable rebate checks worth thousands.
"Fowler is a United States postal carrier in the Bay Shore office. We have evidence that he was allegedly stealing the reward certificates directly from the mail stream," said Suffolk DA Raymond Tierney.
Fowler pleaded not guilty during his arraignment on grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property charges. His parents were by his side. Fowler was still wearing his postal uniform shorts.
"No comment. Speak to my lawyer," he said.
"I coached him little league 25 years ago. He's a fine ball player, a fine individual," said defense attorney Robert Santucci.
"And these charges surprise you?" McLogan asked.
"Yes, these accusations," Santucci said.
The letter carrier allegedly started his day by cherry picking through the assorted mail, intercepting valuable envelopes with the familiar Costco return address.
The alleged scheme was uncovered by an alert Costco employee.
"He was continually, over and over again, cashing these certificates into his own account, and he was wearing a postal uniform," Tierney said.
The DA says he has strong video surveillance evidence. Bay Shore Costco customers reacted.
"Someone with that kind of authority can do something like that," one person said.
"I think it's horrible. It's a shame that is what's going on today," said another.
"The hard work of the hundreds of thousands of postal service employees should not be overshadowed by those who decide to compromise their integrity for personal gain," said Steven Vargas with the Office of the Inspector General.
The letter carrier allegedly bough high-end items, including luxury jewelry worth tens of thousands.
"Currently, he's charged with $7,000, but we've been able to track over $70,000," Tierney said.
Customers in Bay Shore expecting a rebate check that was never delivered are urged to call Costco and the Suffolk DA.
Fowler allegedly was able to cash the checks because they are not made payable to a specific person, but rather simply to a home address.
