Coventry Letter Carrier Indicted for Stealing, Delaying Mail

A federal grand jury Wednesday indicted a letter carrier for allegedly stealing mail meant for Coventry residents and delaying mail delivery to many households.

Matthew Golatto, 28, of Providence was indicted on one count each of mail theft and delaying delivery of mail. He was initially charged on July 17 following a complaint from a resident who noticed a Postal Service truck parked near the woods on the side of Fairview Ave. in Coventry on the evening of July 8. When the truck drove off, the resident returned to the location where she found a large quantity of mail in the woods addressed to residents of the area, which was recovered by Coventry police and turned over to Coventry Postmaster, Mary Fontaine.

An affidavit filed by an agent from the Officer of Inspector General's office (OIG) stated that during an interview with Golatto on July 9, he admitted to dumping more stolen mail into shrubbery along Phillip St., which was later retrieved. 

OIG agents also searched Golatto's personal vehicle where they recovered more mail that he planned to dispose of, along with about 55 opened greeting card envelopes and 36 retail gift cards. A torn open package mailed from the US Department of Veterans Affairs was also found in the vehicle, and contained medication for a US veteran living in Coventry. OIG agents determined that the packaged had been listed on the Postal Service's Track and Confirm system as having been delivered on July 3. During a second interview, Golatto admitted to stealing and opening both the mail and the package.

US Postal Service Communication Specialist Christine Dugas told Coventry Patch Friday that Golatto had just been hired by USPS in March and had no specific delivery route, but often covered the sick days and vacation time of other employees.

"This is an atypical situation for us here. Less than half of one percent of postal employees are investigated for this type of crime," said Dugus. "Most go way above and beyond the call of duty to get postal customers their mail, so this is quite an anomaly."

Golatto was released on an unsecured bond following an initial appearance before U.S. District Court Judge Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond on July 30 and is scheduled to be arraigned on Aug. 13.

If convicted of both charges, he could face up to five years in federal prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 on each charge.

Dugus went on to say that if customers are concerned that their mail has been stolen, they should contact the Coventry Post Office at (401) 821-7208 or the RI Officer of Inspector General's office at (401) 229-9250, especially if the mail in question is valuable.