Great Falls postal worker pleads guilty to stealing mail, wire fraud
A Great Falls postal service driver pleaded guilty last week to federal charges of possessing stolen mail and wire fraud after depositing checks she overwrote with her name.
Jacqueline Rose Hydock, 33, could face up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release, with sentencing scheduled Dec. 13, according to a press release from the District of Montana U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The release said Hydock drove for a Great Falls postal service contract route between post office locations in downtown Great Falls and Black Eagle. Hydock made a series of check deposits in 2022 at Montana Federal Credit Union with checks from various people who put them in the mail, overriding them in a black felt pen with the payee’s name changed to Hydock’s.
The largest check deposited was for $3,000 on June 6, 2022, according to court documents.
Authorities also found Hydock had stolen a Walmart gift card from a birthday card in the mail sent from a woman to her grandson. When the card was delivered, it had been opened and taped shut. The release said photos showed Hydock and another individual using the gift card at a register in May of 2022.
A court document outlining the transactions does not specify the amount of the gift card.
Hydock was released pending further proceedings.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Betley is prosecuting the case. The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, U.S. Postal Service, Cascade County Sheriff’s Office and Great Falls Police Department conducted the investigation.
This story was initially published by the Daily Montanan, part of the nonprofit States News organization, covering state issues. Read more at dailymontanan.com.
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Great Falls postal worker pleads guilty to stealing mail, wire fraud
