WEST PALM BEACH, FL – One stroke and one color at a time, Lynn Morgan paints a picture of a beautiful landscape.
“My paintings sort of all portray peaceful solitude,” explained Morgan.
Her recent dealings with the Postal Service has this artist seeing red.
“Someone sent me a check to buy one of my paintings and I never received that,” explained Morgan.
She says that’s not the only check missing. As Treasurer of an art association, she collects dues. Morgan said six checks sent from various states across the country never arrived.
“They’re saying I sent you a check and they get kind of aggravated with me about that,” explained Morgan. “It’s frustrating.”
We found there are 150 stories like Morgan’s in West Palm Beach.
“Mail was coming to us that had already been rifled,” explained Postal Inspector Jeffrey Esser.
Esser said mail arrived here already opened, and local officials noticed the problematic trend.
“They were specifically targeting the brightly colored birthday cards and greeting cards,” Esser explained.
The Post Office is now trying to connect each piece of compromised mail with its owner. Some of the cards were taken out of their envelopes, so it’s not an easy task.
“It is an isolated incident and it’s very rare,” explained Esser. “Don’t stop mailing cards, but we don’t recommend sending cash. Send a check. Send a money order.”
The Post Office is still investigating, but believes the problem happened at a Memphis sorting facility.
“Two temporary employees were identified. They’ve since been removed from the Postal Service, and they’re working with the US Attorney’s Office,” Esser explained.
It’s a relief for Morgan who relies on the Post Office to get paid for her works of art.
You also need to be careful if you send gift cards in the mail, because if it’s lost or stolen you won’t be able to get your money back.
This case is still under investigation, but the Post Office is beginning to return the mail to the victims if they know who it belongs to.
via WPB customers missing their mail because it’s evidence in Post Office investigation – wptv.com.