Postal Worker Caught Burning, Burying Mail

A former Washington state postal worker is accused of burning and burying thousands of pieces of mail, according to recently revealed court documents. The allegations mark the second time the man has been accused of trashing mail.

Richard Farrell, a former mail carrier near Seattle, burned and buried massive amounts of mail and packages in his backyard in what federal officials called an act of “extreme laziness.” The mailman disposed of the mail, rather than delivering it, so he could spend his work shifts drinking at the local bar.

Farrell began his career with the United States Postal Service in 1991. He remained employed as a contract postal delivery driver for nearly 20 years before his secret was uncovered.

In 2010, a fellow postal worker spotted a substantial amount of letters from Farrell’s route thrown into a recycling receptacle. He alerted authorities and an investigation was launched into the mailman’s activities.

By trailing the mailman on his carrier route, authorities discovered that Farrell was spending his days hanging out at the local tavern.

The sneaky postal worker would then take the undelivered mail home for disposal, burning it in a fire pit on his property. A subsequent search of his home uncovered roughly 8,000 letters and packages.

Farrell allegedly admitted his crime to investigators, claiming he became a poor employee out of sheer laziness.

“I just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible,” he explained. “I began drinking and everything else. I became non-complacent and I just didn’t really care anymore.”

The postal worker pleaded guilty to a federal charge in connection with burning the undelivered mail. He was sentenced to complete 120 hours of community service, which was shortened in 2012. The reduction was given because the court felt Farrell had proven he no longer needed supervision.

Now, the former postal worker is in trouble again. Last month, officials discovered that Farrell had apparently buried nearly 35,000 additional pieces of undelivered mail. The letters and packages were reportedly missed during the 2010 search because they were buried in a trench in Farrell’s Belfair, Washington backyard.

According to court documents, the United States Postal Service was alerted to the dumping site by a female living with Farrell on the property. The former postal worker has reportedly not incurred any new charges related to the recent discovery.

Do you think community service was an appropriate sentence for a postal worker caught burning and burying undelivered mail?

[Top image via Shutterstock][Bottom image via Wikipedia]