RICHMOND, Va. -- Two former mail carriers pleaded guilty to misdemeanor obstruction of mail.
Ashley Gokey, age 39, and Eric Marshall, 23, walked out of federal court Thursday afternoon, after pleading guilty to misdemeanor obstruction of mail.
Gokey pled guilty after she admitted to investigators she dumped more than 1,000 pieces of mail into trash containers at her Henrico County Apartment complex back in March.
Marshall pled guilty to a similar offense that occurred in April, when more than 1,000 pieces of mail were discovered in a dumpster outside a church on Harrowgate Road in Chesterfield County.
The court proceedings lasted less than 15 minutes.
Judge Roderick Young accepted the pleas and sentenced both to six months probation, a $10 special assessment fine and ruled that neither could ever apply for a job with the US Postal Service.
Both were facing a maximum of six months in jail and up to a 5,000 dollar fine.
When asked why the mail he was entrusted to deliver was found in the trash, Marshall told investigators he just could not keep up with the delivery deadline established by the postal service.
In March, more than 1,000 pieces of mail were also found in a trash can outside a West End apartment complex. It was later determined Gokey lived in the complex. Gokey admitted to throwing out letters, magazines, and newspapers. She said she had a lapse in judgment.
Customers who feel their mail has been thrown away, can file a report by calling 1-800-275-8777.
