At a sentencing hearing Tuesday, U.S. District Judge David Hittner sentenced Edwards to a three-year-term of probation during which he is not to be employed by the U.S. Postal Service and must pay more than $1,300 in restitution.
Edwards began his employment with the USPS on Feb. 2, 1991. He was assigned to the Greenbriar Station in Houston until his resignation March 3, 2008.
The investigation leading to the charges was triggered by a complaint from a postal patron regarding unauthorized charges made to the customer's MasterCard account. Postal inspectors obtained information concerning the unauthorized charges which included video surveillance identifying Hoover presenting the customer's credit card, which was later determined to have been stolen from the U.S. Mail. Further investigation led to the recovery of four additional stolen credit cards and various receipts for purchases.
Indicted Sept. 6, 2007, for mail theft, Edwards pleaded guilty in November 2007.
