Postal Worker Charged in Alleged Mail Theft Scheme at Oakdale Post Office; Investigators Say Clerk Stole Mail, Used Gift Cards

OAKDALE, NY – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced that postal worker Jovanni Jamison-Lewis, 35, of Mastic Beach, has been arrested and arraigned on charges including Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree for allegedly stealing items from mail entrusted to the Oakdale Post Office.

Suffolk County residents depend on the integrity of the mail service every day, and my office is committed to investigating and prosecuting any public officials who abuse that trust for personal gain,” District Attorney Tierney said. He also credited the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General for its cooperation and investigative work in the case.

Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General’s Northeast Area Field Office, said the agency remains focused on protecting the U.S. Mail and holding those accountable who steal from it. He noted that the case reflects the strong working relationship between the USPS Office of Inspector General and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office in addressing mail theft involving postal employees.

According to investigators, on November 19, 2025, Jamison-Lewis was working as a clerk at the Oakdale Post Office when she allegedly removed two sealed envelopes from an outgoing mail bin while the items were in the custody of the United States Postal Service. Each envelope contained a greeting card and gifts intended for the recipients. Investigators allege Jamison-Lewis opened the envelopes and removed their contents, which included a T.J. Maxx gift card in one envelope and three New York State Lottery scratch-off tickets in the other.

One of the envelopes containing the T.J. Maxx gift card had been mailed by a Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office investigator acting in an undercover capacity. After allegedly removing the contents, Jamison-Lewis is accused of placing the empty greeting cards back into the envelopes and returning them to the outgoing mail stream.

The following day, surveillance video allegedly showed Jamison-Lewis using the stolen T.J. Maxx gift card at a T.J. Maxx store in Port Jefferson Station. Items allegedly purchased with the gift card were later recovered at the time of her arrest.

On November 24, 2025, Jamison-Lewis was arrested by investigators from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, working alongside agents from the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General. Investigators allege that two additional pieces of stolen mail were found concealed in her clothing at the time of arrest, along with four more pieces of stolen mail in her pocketbook.

Search warrants were also executed at Jamison-Lewis’s residence and vehicle, where investigators allegedly recovered an additional 20 pieces of stolen mail.

Jamison-Lewis had been employed by the United States Postal Service since November 2024 and resigned from her position on December 1, 2025, following her arrest.

On December 12, 2025, Jamison-Lewis was arraigned before Acting County Court Judge Pierce Cohalan on the following charges: Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, a Class E felony; Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree, a Class E felony; Petit Larceny, a Class A misdemeanor; and Official Misconduct, a Class A misdemeanor.

Judge Cohalan ordered Jamison-Lewis released without bail, as the charges are considered non-bail eligible under current New York State law. She is scheduled to return to court on January 6, 2026, and is represented by Robert Curran, Esq.

The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office is asking anyone in the Oakdale postal area who believes they may be a victim of similar mail theft to contact the Public Corruption Squad at 631-853-4626.

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