Postal carrier pleads guilty after discarding mail in a dumpster

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - A Hampton man pled guilty today to improperly destroying mail.

According to court documents, on Dec. 9, 2023, Michael Thirkield, 31, a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mail carrier, dumped several boxes of mail into a dumpster in the Forest Lake Court area in Newport News. Thirkield did not report to work after that day and left his USPS satchel on his porch with a handwritten note stating, "For the mail carrier."

On Dec. 11, 2023, a USPS customer service supervisor retrieved 1,296 pieces of first-class and pre-sorted mail from the dumpster. The mail was destined for addresses along routes assigned to Thirkield for delivery.

Thirkield is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 26, 2025, and faces up to five years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Jeff Krafels, Special Agent in Charge of the Mid Atlantic Area Field Office for the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Elizabeth W. Hanes accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Therese O'Brien and Mack Coleman are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:24-cr-25.