VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Postal customers in Virginia Beach have been missing some mail for months, but it turned out, the mail was sitting in a storage unit because a postal carrier was overwhelmed.
Stress and pressure caused Jason Delacruz to put mail into a storage unit instead of delivering it, according to federal documents.
Authorities found almost 5,000 pieces of mail in bundles, mostly advertisements. Records show the undelivered mail also included letters from the DMV, insurance companies and the IRS.
Documents state he rented the unit for $49 a month and when he couldn’t finish his route, he would drop off the undelivered mail there.
Jason Delacruz was charged with delay in mail delivery by a postal employee and pleaded guilty in court.
He told WTKR that at first, he intended to deliver the mail when he had time, but got overwhelmed and fell behind. While he didn’t want to be interviewed on camera, he said the job just wasn’t the right fit for him and he didn’t want to let anyone down, so he rented the unit.
This whole investigation began May 2019 when someone said they saw Delacruz at the storage unit and started taking pictures of him.
He had been working for the post office since June 2018.
Court documents reveal that he didn’t steal mail and the post service eventually was delivered, but it said they threw away the expired advertisements.
He is expected to be sentenced on Feb. 20.