A U.S. Postal Service supervisor in Derby, Connecticut has been fined $20,000, and has been sentenced to three years of probation for stealing packages over a two-month period, including “PlayStation and Nintendo gaming devices.” Zoheb A. Deura will serve the first nine months of the sentence confined to his home, and is no longer an employee of the USPS. Deura’s actions were not limited to video game consoles; during that time frame, the supervisor also stole an iPhone, clothing, and more. Deura pleaded guilty to the charges in October, and his sentencing was announced Wednesday by the United States Attorney’s Office District of Connecticut.
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The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General handled the investigation into Deura’s activities, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Ruff handled the prosecution of the case. The time period that the packages were stolen occurred between February and April 2020, so the stolen PlayStation console would have likely been a PS4, as opposed to a PS5. Given how tough PS5 units have been to come by this year, it seems likely that a lot of fans would have been quite upset if that had been the case!
That said, the “Nintendo gaming device” likely refers to a Nintendo Switch. During that time frame last year, the console was extremely difficult to come by, which probably proved frustrating for the intended recipient. Animal Crossing: New Horizons released in March 2020, and the start of the coronavirus pandemic made the game, and its console, extremely difficult to come by. It’s impossible to say for sure whether that might have been part of the motivation for taking the console, however.
While the situation will certainly prove frustrating for those that may have been the victim of mail theft, Deura’s charges should show that the USPS takes these sorts of issues quite seriously. Hopefully the charges and fines against Duera will show those that would consider committing mail theft the potential consequences.
Those that suspect they may have been the victim of mail theft can find information on how to report an issue in the link to the U.S. Attorney’s office announcing the charges right here.
Have you ever had any issues ordering a console through the mail? Are you happy to see how the USPS handled this situation? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
