Owings Mills Postal Worker Pleads Guilty to Misappropriating Funds

An Owings Mills woman who worked at the Owings Mills post office pleaded guilty Tuesday to misappropriation of postal funds, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland.

Tonya Lucille Higgs, 50, admitted to embezzling $92,147.76 from the postal service through no-fee money orders, the statement said.

Higgs had worked for the postal service since 1995 and was promoted in March 2011 to lead sales and service associate, a position involving oversight of the location’s daily financial reports, according to the statement.

Authorities said her handling of the day-to-day financial activity made it difficult for them to see what was going on.

In May, special agents from the Office of the Inspector General interviewed Higgs after noticing she had issued a “suspiciously high number of no-fee money orders,” according to the statement from the district attorney.

From October 2011 to May 2014, Higgs allegedly issued 272 no-fee money orders, which she coded as ”refunds for spoiled or unused meter strips,” usually indicative of a retailer being refunded for paying postage on mail that was not placed in the mail stream, the statement said.

The refunds were issued to Higgs or to her friends and family members, whom authorities said she used to cover up the scheme. With the more than $90,000, Higgs paid personal bills, according to the plea agreement, which stated she made between $54,257 and $56,758 a year in her position.

When agents interviewed her in May 2014, Higgs reportedly admitted to the illegal activity and was placed on emergency leave without pay at the end of the interview, according to her plea agreement.

Higgs faces up to 10 years in prison, and will appear for sentencing on Nov 5.