BAY SHORE, N.Y. (1010 WINS) — A United States postal worker was arrested after being accused of stealing Costco reward checks from the Suffolk County mail facility he worked at.
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Gerome Fowler is charged with stealing $7,000 in checks from the big-box company's loyalty checks program, but investigators said they've traced him to $70,000, NBC New York reported.
Fowler allegedly took the reward checks from the Bay Shore facility where he was employed and used them at Costcos in Holbrook, Nesconset, Commack, Melville and Riverhead.
According to the report, a Costco employee who noticed Fowler was frequently using rewards checks and always dressed in a postal service outfit eventually alerted authorities
Special agent Steven Vargas with the USPS' Office of the Inspector General said in a news conference on Tuesday that Fowler's alleged theft was a "serious crime" that will result in "serious consequences."
"The hard work of the hundreds of thousands of postal employees should not be overshadowed by those who decide to compromise their integrity for personal gain," Vargas said.
The USPS declined to comment to 1010 WINS regarding Fowler's alleged conduct, pending criminal investigations.
However, Amy Gibbs, a spokesperson for the agency, said "the criminal charges filed against this Postal Service employee are very concerning."
She added, "While we cannot comment on the specifics of this case because the matter is currently under investigation, we can state that this type of alleged behavior within the Postal Service is neither tolerated nor condoned. Moreover, the Postal Service can proudly state that the overwhelming majority of the Postal Service’s more than 600,000 employees are honest, hardworking and trustworthy individuals who would never engage in criminal behavior."
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