Juanmonino via Getty Images

A former U.S. postal service employee plead guilty to stealing gift cards and cash from U.S. mail letters.

Markeyta McAllister, 30, pleaded guilty on Dec. 17 to Obstruction of United States Mail for stealing thousands of dollars in cash and gift cards between July 7, 2014 to December 3, 2019.

“While most U.S. Postal Service employees serve Americans with integrity and honesty – McAllister did not,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. ‘BJay’ Pak. “By opening peoples’ mail to steal money and gift cards, McAllister betrayed both the citizens she supposedly served and the reputation of her fellow employees.”

Pak says McAllister, of Jefferson, Georgia, opened mailed letters to steal prepaid Visa gift cards and cash from letters addressed to residents in Duluth, Georgia, where she worked at a U.S. mail facility.

McAllister later used the stolen gift cards at stores such as Kroger and Walmart.

After pleading guilty, McAllister confirmed that she “fully underst[ood] that it is a crime, punishable by fine or imprisonment, or both, to knowingly or willfully obstruct or delay the mail, or to steal or attempt to steal mail of any kind.”