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United States v. LaPoint

United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa
16 F. Supp. 3d 1006 (2014)

Written by Kelli Lanski, JD

Facts

Charmagne LaPoint (defendant) worked for the United States Postal Service (USPS). In 2013, she stole approximately 40 pieces of mail from USPS customers. LaPoint targeted envelopes that looked like they contained greeting cards because she expected those might also contain cash or gift cards. LaPoint kept any cash or gift card she found and tore up and disposed of the cards. She also stole a laptop computer. Altogether, LaPoint stole $1,294.95 worth of money and property from USPS customers. The United States (plaintiff) charged her with mail theft, and LaPoint agreed to plead guilty in exchange for a period of probation. One of LaPoint’s victims submitted an impact statement in which she stated that LaPoint stole sympathy cards concerning her father’s death, which caused her emotional distress and destroyed her faith in the USPS. As a result, she stopped shipping care packages to her son in the military and began traveling to nearby cities to drop off her mail. The court analyzed LaPoint’s proposed plea agreement in light of the federal sentencing guidelines.

Rule of Law

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Holding and Reasoning (Bennett, J.)

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