North Brooklyn Post Offices Held Onto Years-Old Mail, Audit Finds

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — Suspicions that mail in North Brooklyn disappears or takes an inordinate amount of time to arrive were confirmed last week when an audit revealed hoards of delayed and mis-scanned packages and letters in moldy, sewage-filled local mailrooms, elected officials announced Tuesday.

The audit, performed by the United States Postal Service's Inspector General, discovered tubs of delayed mail, some dating as far back as 2016, in the Williamsburg and Greenpoint mail stations, responsible for processing and distributing more than 100 package and mail routes.

It confirmed the worries of a coalition of state and federal elected officials who had requested the audit in July after hearing from their constituents about chronic mis-deliveries and delays.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, among those who requested the audit, said the results confirm what Brooklyn residents already knew.

“The audit found that mail has not been delivered on time, to the correct location, or sometimes at all, in addition to practices of unsecured money-handling and poor building safety," she said. "These issues are unacceptable, and I encourage the USPS to ensure any recommendations made in the audit are fully implemented and these issues are resolved quickly and efficiently. New Yorkers shouldn’thave to worry about whether their mail will get lost or delayed.”

The auditors specifically visited both the Williamsburg and Greenpoint sites on two days in late August, taking stock of their mailrooms, interviewing staff and inspecting the building conditions and procedures, according to the Dec. 31 report.

At the Williamsburg station, auditors found delayed mail in 16 carrier's cases and a sorting case, and found undelivered or returnable mail in containers throughout the mailroom, according to the report.

Among that undelivered or returnable mail was a tub of mail, including a loose check, dated July 2016 and a tub of mail with the year 2018 on it.

The Greenpoint mail station wasn't much different — there were almost 100 pieces of mail that were waiting to be sent back to their sender for as long as 47 days, according to the audit.

Delayed pieces of mail sitting in the facilities wasn't the mailroom's only problems, though, the audit found.

The report also noted a chronic issue with staff mis-scanning packages, not reporting the delayed mail, using unapproved keys to deliver mail, or not properly locking up its own storage areas.

At the Williamsburg station, auditors said, there was even a $17,000 bank deposit that was kept in an open safe with the key hanging on the wall right next to it.

In Greenpoint, there were three unsecured cash drawers, a box of money orders sitting on the floor and sheets of stamps in an unlocked desk drawer, auditors said.

The audit made a number of recommendations to mail station staff, who auditors said agreed with all their findings and the recommendations, in order to fix the problems.

Elected officials vowed to follow-up to ensure the problem was solved.

"Established protocols must be followed, and periodic reviews must be ongoing," Assembly Member Joe Lentol said. "The actions taken as a result of this audit will be an important step towards accountability and restoring trust and confidence in North Brooklyn’s mail delivery system."