United States Postal Service

Mail Carrier Accused of Stealing Credit Card From Mail to Pay for Plastic Surgery

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What to Know

  • A United States Postal Service mail carrier is facing numerous charges for allegedly using a credit card stolen from her postal route and using it to pay for an $8,000 surgical procedure at a Long Island medical office in September 2019, according to the Queens District Attorney's Office.
  • Small, 31 and of Jamaica, Queens, was arraigned Wednesday night on a complaint charging her with grand larceny in the third, criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, and other crimes, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
  • Small was ordered to return to court on May 6. If convicted Small faces up to seven years in prison. Attorney information was not immediately known.

A United States Postal Service mail carrier is facing numerous charges for allegedly using a credit card stolen from her postal route and using it to pay for an $8,000 surgical procedure at a Long Island medical office in September 2019, according to the Queens District Attorney's Office.

Small, 31 and of Jamaica, Queens, was arraigned Wednesday night on a complaint charging her with grand larceny in the third, criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, identity theft in the first degree, criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree, falsifying business records in the first degree and unlawful possession of personal identification information in the third degree, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.

Small was ordered to return to court on May 6. If convicted Small faces up to seven years in prison. Attorney information was not immediately known.

Allegedly, between August and September of 2019, Small was assigned to deliver mail to an address on 168th Street in Jamaica, Queens. During that time, a man who lived on that route allegedly received a credit card statement in which there was an $8,000 charge to Long Island Plastic Surgery. The man subsequently contacted the bank and informed it that he had not authorized a charge for $8,000 and furthermore he had never actually received the card in the mail, according to prosecutors.

According to the complaint, Small used an alias when she visited the Babylon office of Long Island Plastic Surgery on Aug. 17, 2019 and presented the office representatives with an allegedly forged Connecticut driver’s license in the name of Christine Petrow. Days later, she allegedly used a credit card to charge a $1,000 deposit for a surgery.

According to the complaint, the credit card Small used to make a $1,000 deposit was linked to her actual credit union bank account. However, on Aug. 30, 2019, when she paid the balance due, she allegedly used the stolen credit card. Small underwent the surgical procedure on Sept. 3, 2019, according to the district attorney.

“Credit card fraud is a serious crime. Bogus charges can ruin a person’s credit rating and affect one’s ability to buy a home, a car or even rent an apartment. The crime alleged here was a betrayal of the public trust and an insult to the thousands and thousands of hardworking postal employees who do their jobs with integrity," Katz said.

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