Postal worker admits to stealing from mail route

ISSAQUAH, Wash. --  A postal worker who stole at least $500 and 30-50 gift cards from her local mail route will not face jail time, the Issaquah Press reported.

Annie Wei, 45, was caught last fall with open mail in her purse, the Press reported. Wei reportedly admitted to stealing about $500 or $600 in cash and mall gift cards after a sting operation was put in place by the United Postal Service's Office of the Inspector General to catch Wei in the act.

A fake gift card was planted in Wei's route, and she opened the gift card and removed the cash. She stole from as many as 50 Issaquah residents from about June to November 2012.

Shortly after admitting to the crime, police found as many as 75 opened greeting cards in her car, the Press reported.

She entered a guilty plea to one federal misdemeanor count of destruction of mail, and she was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 100 hours of community service and $585 in restitution. She was also sentenced to three years of probation, the Press reported.