Newman! Carrier Sent to Prison for Not Delivering Mail
OWENSBORO, KY—Fans of "Seinfeld" may recall how neighbor and sometimes rival Newman was less than a stellar employee of the U.S. Postal Service, and didn't live up to the "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" creed. When it rained, the mail carrier took the day off, saying "I was never that big on creeds."
Newman also missed out on a promotion to become a carrier in Hawaii when it was discovered that he had neglected to deliver bags of mail. Wanting to get rid of Newman, Jerry delivered the mail for him…on a Sunday. Newman was snagged because Seinfeld was more accurate with his deliveries.
Call it an example of life imitating "yada, yada, yada" in the case of Brent Morse. The now-former mail carrier pulled a Newman by storing upwards of 45,000 undelivered mail pieces at his deceased mother's home and various rented storage facilities. Morse didn't have Jerry Seinfeld to save him, however, and was sentenced to six months in federal prison for his transgressions.
Much of the mail should have been delivered to 250 homes in the community of Dawson Springs, KY, between March 2011 and March 2013, according to David Hale, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Kentucky. A U.S. Postal Inspector from Louisville, KY, told CNN that Morse's reasoning for lightening his daily load was simple: He wanted to be able to pick up his kids from school at the same time every day.
Morse was caught when he failed to fully close one of his storage units, allowing the facility's owner to see the mail and various USPS equipment. The owner then called the authorities.
In addition to the prison term, Morse must pay $15,000 in restitution for losses incurred by two businesses that sent out commercial circulars.
The USPS, and not Seinfeld, has since delivered the stashed mail.