A New Orleans resident has pleaded guilty to charges of mail destruction. Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that PJ Whitaker, 36, entered his plea on September 16, 2025, before United States District Judge Greg G. Guidry.
Court documents indicate that in November 2023, the United States Postal Service Office of the Inspector General began an investigation following several complaints about stolen mail and tampered parcels at a local distribution center. Agents conducted surveillance and observed Whitaker removing parcels from a conveyor belt, manipulating them, and then returning them to the belt. Several opened parcels were later found near his workstation.
Whitaker faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, a fine reaching $250,000, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
The United States Postal Service Office of the Inspector General led the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Christine Calogero from the General Crimes Unit is handling the prosecution.
“The case was investigated by the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Christine Calogero of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution,” according to Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson.
