Former US Postal Service chief pleads guilty to stealing cash and gift cards

HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) – A former U.S. Postal Service executive has pleaded guilty to stealing cash and gift cards from the mail.

Debra Watson, 64, of Chicopee, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty Tuesday to obstructing the mail.

Watson worked at the Postal Service’s processing and distribution center in Hartford.

Between December 2021 and July 2022, she intercepted envelopes, removed cash and gift cards, sealed them, and then returned the counterfeit envelopes to the mail stream at various locations.

At the time of her encounter with law enforcement on July 15, 2022, Watson was carrying fifty-three letters along with a $500 gift card she had stolen.

Watson now faces a maximum prison term of up to six months.

Her sentencing is scheduled for January 21, 2025.