Postal Employee Indicted For Theft Of More Than $2 Million In Social Security Checks

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Stacy Darnell Mitchell (48, Tampa) with theft of government property and theft of mail. If convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison.

According to the indictment, between in or about January 2012 and in or about October 2012, Mitchell stole Social Security benefits checks worth more than $1,000 from the mail. Richard Lee Anderson, an accomplice of Mitchell who received the checks, recently pleaded guilty to related charges. According to Anderson’s plea agreement, he received benefit checks totaling at least $2,275,000 during the relevant time period.  Mitchell worked at the Processing and Distribution Center facility in St. Petersburg.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless,  and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Social Security Administration - Office of the Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Service - Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Tampa Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Scruggs.