U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that JESSICA HENDERSON BERTHELOT, age 28, of Ponchatoula, pled guilty today to Theft of Mail.
According to court records, the investigation was initiated in September 2015, by the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office and the United States Postal Inspection Service after determining that BERTHELOT was stealing mail from residential mailboxes on the Northshore. Postal inspectors determined BERTHELOT stole approximately 1,428 items of mail.
BERTHELOT faces a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment, followed by up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. U.S. District Judge Lance M. Africk set sentencing on November 17, 2016.
U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Fraud Unit Chief, Assistant U. S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba.