A former Southwest Virginia postmaster has been indicted by a federal grand jury and is accused of embezzling money and stealing mail from the post office.
Cynthia K. Landore, 56, of Bristol, Tenn., is accused of embezzling at least $30,058 from the post office in Hiltons, Va., according to court records.
She is also accused of stealing government property and stealing and destroying mail.
The accusations stem from events that occurred during a one-year period from June 2010 to July 2011, according to the indictment, which was filed Nov. 1.
Landore faces four felony charges, according to the indictment – misappropriation of postal funds more than $100, theft of government property, delay or destruction of mail, and theft of mail by an officer or employee of the U.S. Postal Service.
Landore is accused of embezzling the money though “unlawfully using funds from the sale of money orders for her personal use,” the indictment said. She didn’t deposit the money from the money orders into the required depository, according to the indictment, and instead kept it for herself or someone else to use.
That money is the property of the U.S. government, the indictment said.
The indictment alleges that Landore “secreted, destroyed, delayed and opened any letter, postal card, package, bag or mail” that was intended to be delivered through the U.S. Postal Service.
She is also accused of stealing mail in the form of letters, postcards and packages that came through the small post office in Hiltons. The indictment said she’s accused of taking items out of the letters and packages.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia could not be reached Friday afternoon; nor could Landore or her attorney. A representative from the U.S. Postal Service was unable Friday to comment on the case.
Landore will be arraigned at 10 a.m. Nov. 30 in the U.S. District Court in Abingdon, Va.
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A Southwest Virginia postmaster has been indicted by a federal grand jury and accused of embezzlement and theft of government property.
Cynthia K. Landore, of Bristol, Tenn., is accused of embezzling not less than $30,000 over a one-year period from June 2010 to July 2011, according to court records. She also is charged with stealing and destroying mail that came into the Hiltons, Va., post office during that time.
She will be arraigned in federal court in Abingdon, Va., later this month.
On Saturday, the Bristol Herald Courier will bring you more on this case.
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