Brooklyn Mail Carrier Accused Of Hoarding 40,000 Letters
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A New York City postal carrier is accused of failing to deliver more than 40,000 pieces of mail weighing roughly 2,500 pounds, some dating to 2005.
According to a federal court complaint, Joseph Brucato hoarded the mail at his home, car and post office locker. He was arrested Wednesday after a supervisor noticed undelivered mail piled up in Brucato's personal vehicle.
Brooklyn Mail Carrier Accused Of Hoarding 40,000 Letters
The 67-year-old Brucato was arraigned Wednesday and released on his own recognizance.
Magistrate Vera Scanlon ordered him to "abstain from excessive alcohol consumption.''
Brucato's attorney said her client suffers from depression and there were days he simply couldn't walk the route, 1010 WINS' Al Jones reported.
About 2,500 pounds of U.S. mail postmarked as far back as 2005 was recovered, authorities said.
"Is that what happened with my passport? My marriage license that I never got?" Flatbush resident Denise Sherard told CBS 2's Vanessa Murdock.
Brucato's route included businesses and residences in the Flatlands section of Brooklyn.
Sherard says she's been waiting for three months to get it back.
Her house is just one of 361 stops along Brucato's mail route.
Brucato's longtime neighbor, Steve, said he hopes the courts are lenient.
"You know, hardened criminals are one thing, you know something like this, who did he hurt?" Steve told 1010 WINS' Al Jones. "He's going to lose his pension most likely, his reputation is gone."
"Just leave him alone," another neighbor, named Jennifer, said. "He's a nice guy."
But customers were upset after hearing the news.
"You're supposed to deliver the mail, the mail must go on," one woman, named Ebony, said.
Brucato has been suspended without pay, Jones reported.
As CBS 2's Dave Carlin reported, if convicted, Brucato faces fines, up to five years in prison or both.
A spokeswoman for the postal service wouldn't say how long it would take to deliver the stashed mail.
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