Postal worker accused of hoarding mail

A 22-year-old Postal Service carrier in northeast Colorado is suspected of hoarding roughly 26,000 pieces of undelivered mail and destroying and opening other letters, postcards, packages and bags.

Tayson Adam Hidalgo of Sterling is accused of stealing so much mail that authorities in the rural corner of the state have called a town hall meeting to brief citizens.

Federal prosecutors believe he gathered the items over more than 500 days between October 2014 and April of this year.

Hidalgo has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on one count of delay or destruction of mail. The accusation carries with it a prison sentence of up to five years, a maximum fine of $250,000 and possible restitution.

“This type of behavior within the Postal Service is not tolerated,” Joanne Yarbrough, executive special agent in charge of the postal service’s Office of Inspector General, said in a statement. “The overwhelming majority of Postal Service employees, who serve the public, are honest, hardworking and trustworthy individuals who would never consider engaging in any type of criminal behavior.”

The indictment was handed down Tuesday.

“Approximately 26,000 pieces of undelivered mail were located during this investigation,” Colorado’s U.S. attorney’s office said Friday in a news release. “The recovered mail was addressed to residents within the city limits of Sterling … and several local postal routes in Fort Morgan.”

Investigators did not elaborate on where the mail was found, and a three-page indictment against Hidalgo did not provide further details on the case.

The town hall meeting is set for 6 p.m. Nov. 7 at Sterling Middle School, where authorities say attendees will be briefed about the investigation into Hidalgo and when the seized mail will be delivered to its intended recipients.

The Postal Service Office of Inspector General worked with Sterling police to investigate Hidalgo.

Anyone who believes they are a victim in the case is asked to visit Colorado’s U.S. attorney’s office website, justice.gov/usaoco, for case updates.