Former U.S. Postal Service Mail Carrier Indicted for Theft of Postal Customers’ Prescription Drugs

BOSTON - A former U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employee has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly stealing packages containing prescription medications from postal customers on his route.

Michael Vernon, 52, of Somerville, Mass. has been indicted on one count of theft of mail by an officer or employee. Vernon was arrested this morning and will appear in federal court in Boston at 2:45 PM today.

According to the charging document, Vernon worked as a USPS mail carrier in Waltham, Mass. From around June 2022 through January 2024, Vernon allegedly used his official position to rifle through the contents of mail entrusted to him, including packages containing prescription medication. It is alleged that Vernon stole bottles of prescription drugs intended for postal customers on his delivery route in Waltham.

The charge of theft of mail by employee provides a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General, Northeast Area Field Office, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam W. Deitch of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.