BOSTON -- A former Fitchburg postal carrier admitted to taking hundreds of pieces of mail home instead of delivering it along his route, federal prosecutors said.
Stephen Lehto, 37, will be sentenced on April 13. He pleaded guilty Friday to the misdemeanor charge of obstruction of mails in federal court in Worcester, the U.S. Attorney's office said in a press release.
Law-enforcement agents received a tip then interviewed Lehto at his home. Lehto admitted to bringing mail to his home rather than to those they were addressed.
He allowed agents to search his vehicle. Agents recovered 758 pieces of mail, including 341 pieces that had been sent first class, that had not been delivered from June 2016 to January 2017, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The charge of obstructing mail carries a sentence of up to six months in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $5,000.