(WNY News Now) – BUFFALO, N.Y. — A former U.S. Postal Service employee has admitted to stealing gift cards from mail while working as a city carrier in Wyoming County, federal prosecutors announced.
Matthew Hurlburt, 25, of Pavilion, New York, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to theft of mail by an officer or employee of the United States Postal Service, according to U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Federal prosecutors said Hurlburt was employed as a city carrier assigned to the Perry Post Office in Perry, New York. In July 2025, a birthday card containing a $100 Visa gift card was mailed to a Perry address but never reached its intended recipient. An investigation later revealed that the gift card had been used multiple times at a gas station and a restaurant by Hurlburt.
In August 2025, investigators conducted an integrity test as part of the investigation. A test envelope containing a $25 Visa gift card was placed in Hurlburt’s assigned mail delivery tray. The envelope was marked with an insufficient or non-existent address and, under postal procedures, should have been returned to the post office at the end of his shift. Authorities said Hurlburt failed to return the envelope and instead used the gift card at two separate gas stations.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General under the direction of Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Northeast Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Irvin Jefferson is prosecuting the case.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 12, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.
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