DC Postal Carrier Pleads Guilty To Dumping 15K Pieces Of Mail In Sewer

WASHINGTON, DC — A former U.S. postal carrier pleaded guilty to federal charges of obstruction of mail Wednesday, after dumping over 15,000 pieces of mail into a storm drain in DC in May 2016, according to a release from the U.S. attorney's office for the District of Columbia.

Christopher Newton, 22, pleaded guilty to the charge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The charge carries a statutory maximum of six months in prison and possible fines.

According to a statement of offense, signed by the defendant and the government, Newton worked as a city carrier assistant from December 2015 until May 16, 2016. He was assigned to the River Terrace Post Office in Northeast Washington, and his responsibilities included collecting, sorting, and delivering mail to postal customers on routes he was assigned.

On May 16, 2016, the local television news station WJLA-TV told the Postal Service that mail was found in a catch basin in the intersection of Douglas Street and Anacostia Avenue NE., an area serviced by the River Terrace Post Office.

Postal Service managers went to the area and located 74 pieces of mail sticking out from the catch basin. The next day, investigators returned to the intersection and removed a manhole cover near the catch basin. They found 17 trash bags full of about 15,000 pieces of mail in the sewer, the release states. The letters were "soaking wet and clumped together, and it shredded to pieces as it was picked up," the release said. The mail was unsalvageable due to sewer contamination.

The catch basin was located on a route serviced by Newton. When a supervisor approached Newton about the dumped mail, he announced that he was quitting his job immediately.

In his guilty plea, Newton admitted that he dumped the mail alone. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 6, 2017.

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