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Albany, NY – A Texas man admitted to repeatedly breaking into an Albany postal facility to steal business checks, causing over $242,000 in losses, federal prosecutors announced today.
Sean A. Walter, 30, of Humble, Texas, pleaded guilty to mail theft after illegally entering the USPS Albany Processing and Distribution Center (PDC) on six occasions between 2023 and 2024. His scheme involved stealing checks, which he then sold to others for fraudulent cashing.
Brazen Thefts at Albany Postal Facility
One of Walter’s most audacious thefts occurred on January 23, 2024, when he:
🔹 Forced open a retractable overhead door to enter the facility at 12:56 a.m.
🔹 Stole multiple pieces of mail while USPS employees sorted packages
🔹 Exited the building, only to return twice more to steal additional mail
🔹 Left the facility around 2:31 a.m. with a backpack full of stolen checks
Walter was ultimately arrested on May 14, 2024, after being confronted by security guards and fleeing to a nearby motel.
Targeting Business & Government Checks
The stolen mail contained checks from local businesses, a bank, a town government, and a volunteer fire department. Walter admitted that he knew these checks would be altered and forged so they could be fraudulently cashed.
He also confessed to similar crimes in Texas, where he unlawfully entered the USPS North Houston PDC in 2022 to steal business checks.
Facing Up to 5 Years in Prison
Walter now faces up to 5 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release when he is sentenced on June 30, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino. He may also be ordered to pay restitution to his victims.
The United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG) and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett is prosecuting the case.
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