Fort Myers postal worker caught dumping mail

FORT MYERS, Fla. – A restaurant owner said he was working on his roof Saturday when he saw a postal worker dump mail into the recycling bin behind his business.

“At first I thought she was just dumping out some trash. I didn’t think much of it, but when she flipped the bin over, I could clearly see it was mail and letters,” said Louie Rondao, of Luigina’s Pizza & Grill.

Among the trashed mail were flyers purchased by a local realtor plus about a dozen personal letters. Rondao called the post office and the realtor listed on all the flyers, Hudson Warren.

“I thought that was ridiculous and it’s upsetting and you know. I probably spend about $2,000 a month in mail marketing, and now I have to wonder has that happened before,” Hudson said. “Seeing the video footage, ya know, she rolled right in here like she owned the place. I doubt it’s the first time this happened.”

Rondao said the mailers really struck a chord with him because he just spent $2,500 on flyers and worries the same thing could happen to him.

“When I saw the postcards identical to the ones I send out, I couldn’t believe it. You know small businesses, off season and this area is struggling enough as it is. Sometimes we go out on a limb to spend money to keep jobs and doors open, and for someone to just completely disregard and throw away our money, that’s literally she’s doing,” Rondao said.

Rondao said he was unsure of what to do with the mail so he called the post office.

Special agents with the post office inspector general met with Rondao Monday and retrieved surveillance of the incident.

An investigation is ongoing.

Throwing mail away is a federal crime and can carry a five year prison sentence and $250,000 fine.

If you suspect fraudulent behavior by a postal employee, you can file a complaint by calling 1-888-877-7644 or clicking here to file a complaint online.