Postman Accused of Stealing 5,000 Pieces of Mail
A retired letter carrier who allegedly stole at least 5,000 pieces of mail from residents along his Garden Grove route was ordered Tuesday to stand trial on forgery and theft charges.
Peter Paul Amat, 52, is scheduled to enter a plea Nov. 6 before a Superior Court judge to 22 counts of forgery and one count of possessing stolen property.
Authorities said they recovered 5,000 pieces of mail in the former U.S. Postal Service worker’s Garden Grove home in the 11600 block of Faye Avenue.
Police began their investigation when officials from Home Savings of America, where Amat kept a private account, reported that he had made deposits totaling $11,000, and had used personal checks to do so.
Deputy Public Defender Phil Zalewski declined to comment on the defense strategy of the retired postal worker, who was being held on $25,000 bail.
“There’s extensive work that needs to be done,” Zalewski said. “There is a defense.”
He said the prosecution did not offer evidence that Amat took the 5,000 pieces of mail. He said an officer testified that he looked at 100 pieces, and many of them amounted to “junk” mail.
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