SPENCER POSTAL WORKER PLEADS GUILTY - Stole Food Stamps

(05/13/2003)
A former post office clerk who worked at the Spencer office and took food stamps from an unopened envelope has pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing mail.

David L. Banks Jr., 33, of Charleston, said during court Monday that he was going to use the $195 worth of food stamps "for personal gain."

The conviction could mean he is facing up to five years in prison and as much as $250,000 in fines.

His sentencing is scheduled for July 29 in U.S. District Court in Charleston.

Postal inspectors said they began investigating Banks after Roane County welfare recipients began lodging "a disproportionate number of complaints" about missing food stamps.

Postal officials set up a sting operation and caught Banks in February.