A former postmaster from Connecticut, Ephrem D. Nguyen, could potentially face a 20-year prison sentence after confessing to defrauding the U.S. Postal Service of $875,000 through a series

of bribery and embezzlement schemes.

The allegations against Nguyen, who served as a postmaster in Danbury, Connecticut, involve various fraudulent activities. He admitted to engaging in multiple schemes, including the misuse of USPS credit cards to pay a vendor an excessive amount for maintenance and repair work, totaling at least $760,000. Additionally, Nguyen embezzled over $80,000 by using credit cards to rent vehicles for personal use and approved fraudulent travel expense reimbursement claims, which exceeded $8,000 for a co-worker.

As part of his responsibilities, Nguyen was responsible for overseeing maintenance and repair for USPS equipment, facilities, and vehicles.

In late 2020, Nguyen directed that all maintenance and repair work for the postal services go through a specific vendor, despite knowing that another vendor had already been contracted for the office. He also demanded that the vendor provide free vehicle maintenance and repairs not only for himself but also for a co-worker, one of his children, and an employee of Nguyen's personal business.

Furthermore, in 2022, Nguyen asked for and received $90,000 from the same vendor through cash bribes, resulting in the USPS overpaying the vendor for vehicle services, which Nguyen referred to as a "raise."

In total, these fraudulent activities amount to approximately $874,930.59, according to the release.

U.S. Attorney Avery, commenting on the case, emphasized the importance of upholding public trust and protecting funds allocated for federal services. "This corrupt employee operated a brazen bribery, kickback, and embezzlement scheme that defrauded the U.S. Postal Service of hundreds of thousands of dollars," he said. Avery commended the USPS Office of Inspector General and the FBI for their diligent work in the investigation.

The federal public defender representing Nguyen has chosen not to provide comments on the case, as reported by the Associated Press.

Kenneth Cleevely, a Special Agent for USPS' Inspector General, stressed the significance of the public's confidence in the honest conduct of Postal Service employees.

Nguyen was released on a $100,000 bond and currently resides in Quincy, Massachusetts, where he awaits his sentencing. The hearing is scheduled for January 5, and the honest service wire fraud to which he confessed carries a maximum imprisonment term of 20 years, according to the news release. Photo by Coolcaesar at en.wikipedia.