Former Indiana postal manager gets 40 months for stealing hundreds of checks worth at least $1.7M

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A former customer service manager at a U.S. Postal Service office in Indianapolis has been sentenced to 40 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to stealing hundreds of checks worth about $1.7 million that businesses had mailed. Forty-two-year-old James Lancaster fought back tears after a federal judge sentenced him Wednesday. WTHR-TV reports that prosecutors said Lancaster was the customer service manager at the New Augusta post office branch in Indianapolis when he began stealing checks in early 2021. Court records show he stole at least 272 checks worth at least $1.7 million dollars from 59 different businesses. He pleaded guilty to mail theft and conspiracy to commit bank fraud.