September 2, 2010

(HOUSTON) – Linda Taylor, 50, of Coldspring, Texas, has been arrested as a result of the return of a one-count indictment charging her with theft of U.S. Mail, United States Attorney Jose Angel Moreno announced today. 

Indicted by a Houston grand jury on Aug. 19, 2010, Taylor surrendered to agents with the United States Postal Service – Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG) today. Following a hearing before United States Magistrate Judge John Froeschner, Taylor has been ordered released on a $5,000 bond.

The indictment  arose from an investigation conducted by USPS-OIG special agents into a complaint by a Coldspring resident residing along a route serviced by Taylor that an item she had placed as outgoing mail in her curbside mailbox for retrieval by aletter carrier had never been deliveredto the intended recipients. 

Taylor began her employment as a contractor for the USPS in May 2008. If convicted, Taylor faces a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and/or a $250,000 fine.

The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Tammie Y. Moore.   

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.
A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

source: United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas