The Offer
Ty-Hunter Collins, 28, of St. Louis, admitted approaching a postal carrier and asking whether she would sell him the mail in her truck and her postal route for $20,000. The Justice Department says he pleaded guilty to bribery of a public official.
This is not a story about stealing one envelope from a mailbox. It is an alleged attempt to purchase an entire mobile mail operation from the person whose job was to deliver it. Collins apparently looked at a postal truck and saw an unadvertised franchise opportunity.
When the Customer Asks to Buy the Route
The carrier was approached while walking back to her truck at a shopping mall. Collins allegedly offered $20,000 for the mail inside and the route itself. The request combined several bad ideas at once: bribing a federal employee, interfering with the mail and proposing that a postal route could be transferred like a used lawnmower.
Mail routes are not personal property. The packages, checks, cards and letters inside the truck belong to other people. The route belongs to the postal system. The carrier did not have a “sell everything” button hidden under the dashboard, despite Collins apparently asking as if she might.
The Business Plan Is Missing a Few Details
A person who wants to rob mail usually tries not to announce the plan to the mail carrier. Collins’ alleged approach skipped that entire stealth phase. It also assumed that $20,000 would be a persuasive number to someone who could immediately report the offer to law enforcement.
The crime is funny only at the level of the pitch. Mail theft can expose people to identity fraud, financial loss and the loss of medications or important documents. The postal system is trusted precisely because carriers are not supposed to auction the truck’s contents to the highest bidder.
The Federal Charge
Collins admitted the conduct and pleaded guilty to bribery of a public official. The DOJ’s announcement describes the offer as an attempt to buy both the mail in the truck and access to the route. A guilty plea is different from an allegation: Collins admitted the offense in court, and sentencing will determine the penalty.
The Bottom Line
Some people see a postal truck and think, “That is how letters get delivered.” Collins allegedly saw inventory, customer access and a business opportunity available for $20,000 cash. The route was not for sale, the mail was not his, and the federal government remains extremely particular about who gets to drive away with the envelopes.
Source
U.S. Department of Justice: St. Louis man admits trying to buy mail for $20,000