PEN Exclusive – 5/17/19 – A Stockton CA Postal Inspector, Daron Tarver, is scheduled to appear in Sacramento Federal Court on May 23, 2019, stemming from his arrest and indictment (USA v Tarver 2:18-cr-223 see attached complaint) late last year alleging that he had unlawfully opened a package not sent or addressed to him containing numerous US Postal Service Money Orders. Postal Inspectors are trained to recognize suspicious looking parcels regularly used by drug traffickers to send narcotics across the country and monetary proceeds often times in the form of Postal Money orders to the drug suppliers. Inspectors are required to initiate an investigation and obtain a Federal search warrant from a judge prior to opening any US mail of which Tarver did not obtain a warrant.
In the alleged scheme, Tarver enlisted the help of a local Stockton Postal Service employee whom he allegedly had a physical relationship with to intercept suspicious looking drug proceeds mailings before being delivered. She would send pictures of the mailings she found to meet Tarvers’ criteria as a possible drug proceeds mailing to Tarver for his review and direction. Tarver would meet with the employee at a specified location where Tarver opened the mailing, removed money orders, gave the employee a money order and kept a money order for himself then resealed the mailing containing the remaining money orders to be delivered. The USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted the investigation and arrest of Tarver and is unknown if the employee that removed the mailing is being charged with any crime at this time. As charged, Tarver faces up to 5 years in prison.
Tarver and his accomplice should be considered innocent until proven guilty in court.
Anonymous
