BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - A New York postal carrier was arrested Tuesday with a vehicle containing 813 pieces of mail, including three absentee ballots sent to two Buffalo addresses from the Erie County Board of Elections.
Brandon Wilson, 27, told the Customs and Border Protection agents who arrested him that the mail belonged to him and his mother, but could not account for the mail that was not addressed to either party, according to a complaint filed Wednesday by a special agent for the Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General. He told the border agents he had intended to deliver the mail and forgotten to return it to the post office, the complaint said.
He later told agents from the Postal Service that, beginning in September, he put mail in the trunk of his vehicle more than four but less than 10 times after completing his route, according to the complaint. He was going to whittle down the mail by placing it into USPS mis-sort containers.
He denied throwing away mail or stealing greeting cards, cash or checks from his delivery route, according to the complaint. He also denied knowing about the election ballots.
He was arrested at the Peace Bridge in Buffalo that goes between Canada and the U.S. after officers opened his trunk as part of a standard vehicle sweep, the complaint said.
He was charged with delaying or destroying mail.
Wilson was arrested on Election Day but there was “no political motivation here whatsoever,” said his attorney, Carla Benz, in an email.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.