Florida Postal Worker Accused of Stealing Vote-By-Mail Ballot

By Dana Cruz Oct 21 2020, 02:34 AM EDT

A Florida postal worker was charged for stealing a vote-by-mail ballot and interfering with the right to vote late Monday.

US Postal Service letter carrier Anthony Ow places letters in a mailbox as he walks his delivery route July 30, 2009 in San Francisco, California. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Florida authorities said the postal worker was caught stealing a vote-by-mail ballot, political flyers, and other mails, the Washington Times reported.

The mail was found in postal worker Crystal Nicole Myrie's car late last week, a prosecutor said Tuesday. She was the third postal worker to be accused of diverting vote-by-mail ballots in the past few weeks. The two other cases were in Kentucky and New Jersey.

The Kentucky postal worker was charged after 100 mail ballots were found in a dumpster, and the New Jersey worker was charged for nearly 100 ballots dumped in his route.

According to the New York Post, Myrie was also accused of stealing 10 gift cards and four prepaid debit cards. Miami Herald added that there were at least 150 other mails stolen alongside the Miami-Dade County ballots.

Authorities also found 36 political flyers in the car. The offense was committed between October 5 and October 16, said ABC News.

Investigators were made aware of Myrie after she registered a stolen gift card. Myrie admitted to two postal inspector agents that she did steal the debit cards to use at stores.

When she was asked to return her postal I.D., inspectors saw the other mail stashed in the back of her car. She initially said there was no other mail-in her personal car, then changed her answer to yes.

"Upon approaching the vehicle, (one agent) observed....several postal service satchels containing white envelopes in the back seat of Myrie's personal vehicle," said the criminal complaint.

Postal workers like Myrie are not allowed to deliver mail using their personal cars.

Taking a Vote-by-Mail Ballot

The vote-by-mail ballot that was found in her possession was sent out on October 6.

If the proper authorities had not found the ballot, the person intended to use it would not be able to cast their vote under Florida law. Even voting in person, the voter will have to show with the mail-in ballot in hand to cancel it.

The USPS Office of Inspector General also said in the criminal complaint that with Myrie's actions, the victim whose ballot was taken was deprived of the right to vote. When the USPS was asked for comment, it did not give an immediate reply.

The Charge Against the Postal Worker

It is still unclear why Myrie stole the ballots on purpose or if she unknowingly mixed them into the haul. On Monday, Myrie made her first appearance in federal court.

It's not known if she entered a plea to her case.B ut the complaint also stated that Myrie had been stealing mail sporadically on her route for almost two years.

There are already at least 2.5 million votes cast in Florida through the mail.

President Donald Trump has been vocal in his opposition to voting through the mail. He repeatedly warned that using this method could lead to widespread fraud during the election.