Timothy Chandler, a contract postal worker for the U.S. Postal Service, pleaded guilty to delay or destruction of the mail after investigators said they found hundreds of pieces of undelivered mail in an apartment recently rented to him. A federal judge set sentencing for Aug. 31.
The case began last November, when Robertsdale police responded to a complaint about a large amount of undelivered mail at the apartment. Authorities later said the stash was enough to fill about eight post office bins. Officers found mail on the living room floor, under chair cushions, in the stove, on top of cabinets and inside the refrigerator, with more tucked into trash bags. Several greeting cards sent through the mail had been opened.
Chandler had a delivery route that included homes and businesses, making the volume of missing mail more consequential for people waiting on bills, cards and other correspondence. The plea agreement and plea document are part of the case background, and prosecutors have agreed to recommend leniency. He faces a maximum of five years in prison.
The plea closes the central question in the case: whether the missing mail was a one-time lapse or something more deliberate. By admitting guilt, Chandler has put the facts on the record, and the sentencing date now becomes the next point of consequence.
