OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A former U.S. Postal Service employee in Omaha has admitted that he stole gift cards and cash from the mail. 

Thirty-year-old Austin Thomas faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to mail theft when he is sentenced in July. 

Prosecutors said 216 victims lost a total of at least $5,829 in the thefts, which occurred at the West Omaha Post Office while Thomas worked there between September 2019 to January 2020. 

The investigation began when a city employee notified police that he found several bags of mail in a trash can. The mail was not processed but had been opened.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A former U.S. Postal Service employee in Omaha has admitted that he stole gift cards and cash from the mail. Thirty-year-old Austin Thomas faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to mail theft when he is sentenced in July. Prosecutors said 216 victims lost a total of at least $5,829 in the thefts, which occurred at the West Omaha Post Office while Thomas worked there between September 2019 to January 2020. The investigation began when a city employee notified police that he found several bags of mail in a trash can. The mail was not processed but had been opened.

Postal employee in Omaha pleads guilty to stealing mail