Postal carrier sentenced for stealing mail, money

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Former postal carrier in La Crosse, 50-year-old Robert Ernstes, has been sentenced to 10 months in prison for stealing 9,000 pieces of mail.

He got caught after a man mailed greeting cards with $2 bills to each of his eight grandkids – and when the kids got them, some were opened and the money was gone. A few months later, postal investigators sent out a piece of “test mail” – and it ended up at the carrier’s home, along with thousands of other pieces.

When he pleaded guilty in March, Ernstes said he stole the mail because money was tight, and his bills were piling up. But postal officials said the vast majority of the mailings Ernstes stole were never opened.

Beside his prison term, Ernstes must also spend three years under federal supervision when he’s no longer behind bars. He also must pay back the money he stole.

Tags: wisconsin, crime, courts, government