Federal authorities have uncovered a second case of a mail handler allegedly stealing from letters and packages at a postal facility in the Charlotte area.
Dominic Steele was indicted on federal mail theft charges.
Last week Eyewitness News reported that another mail handler, Joseph Kresge, was indicted on the same charges.
“It’s scary,” postal customer Vicky Chapman said, “I mean, we put our trust in the post office and trust that they’re going to get our packages where they’re supposed to be.”
Steele and Kresge appeared in federal court on the same day last week but sources said their cases are not connected and that postal investigators discovered two separate instances of theft.
That has some customers questioning how widespread the problem is.
“It makes you wonder,” customer Ledonna Neal said. “It’s a big concern.”
That concern reached Washington D.C. where U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger, a Republican representing North Carolina's 9th Congressional District, said he’s asking postal authorities to review the cases and reveal if there are others facing charges too.
“We should really review this. It just reflects the need for greater transparency and accountability inside the U-S Postal Service,” he said.
Investigators with the U.S. Inspector General’s office who are handling the cases have declined to comment on what was taken in the alleged thefts.