logo
Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
Brief Publisher Logo
FACT BRIEF

Were two Pennsylvania mail carriers charged with throwing mail in the trash?

By Jacob Alabab-Moser
Copy link
email
Copy featured image
email
YES

On Oct. 14, 2020, the U.S. Attorney's Office said it charged two Pittsburgh-area employees of the United States Postal Service with delay or destruction of mail. The first defendant, Sean Troesch, admitted to investigators that he had placed mail intended for delivery on his route into nine trash bags on his curb. A neighbor's photo from two weeks earlier showed additional trash bags on Troesch's curb, suggesting that more mail had already been sent to the landfill. The second defendant, James McLenigan, admitted to throwing mail into multiple trash cans along his route.

The mail that the carriers attempted to destroy contained election-related materials, including two mail-in ballot applications and more than a thousand political advertisements and similar campaign-mail items.

The carriers could face up to five years' imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, or both, the U.S. Attorney said.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Department of Justice: Two Pittsburgh-area postal carriers charged with delay or destruction of mail
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: 2 mail carriers charged with delaying or destroying items
CBS Pittsburgh: Federal agents raid home of Pittsburgh-area mail carrier, collect bags of suspected undelivered mail
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
FACT BRIEF BY
Brief Publisher Logo
Latest fact briefs
facebook
twitter
email
email
About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.