Postal carrier pleads guilty to stealing gift cards

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Matthew Hurlburt, 25, of Pavilion, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to theft of mail by an officer or employee of the United States Postal Service, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Irvin Jefferson, who is handling the case, stated that Hurlburt was employed by the United States Postal Service as a city carrier assigned to the Perry Post Office, in Perry, NY. In July 2025, an individual mailed a birthday card that included a $100 Visa gift card to Perry, but it never arrived. Subsequent investigation determined that the gift card was utilized multiple times at a gas station and a restaurant by Hurlburt. In August 2025, investigators placed an integrity test envelope containing a $25.00 Visa gift card in Hurlburt's assigned mail delivery tray. The envelope was labeled with an insufficient/no such number destinating address and should have been returned to the Post Office by Hurlburt at the end of his shift. Hurlburt did not return the envelope, instead he utilized the gift card at two different gas stations.

The plea is the result of an investigation by U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent-in-Charge Northeast Field Office.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 12, 2026, before Judge Vilardo.

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