USPS Carrier Arrested In Theft Of Rewards Cards From Austell Customers

AUSTELL, GA — A city carrier with the U.S. Postal Service has been arrested after being accused of taking AT&T rewards cards that were mailed to Austell residents, police said Thursday.

Austell Police said the worker, who they identified as Adrienne Braziel, was assigned to the South Atlanta Sorting and Delivery Center at James Jackson Parkway in Atlanta but was responsible for routes serving Austell.

Braziel, 31, of Villa Rica, was accused of taking the rewards cards between Sept. 10 and Dec. 14.

Customers began reporting the missing cards to the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General after the cards showed up in their USPS Informed Delivery dashboards but not their mailboxes, police said.

During a joint probe, police said officers and USPS-OIG investigators determined Braziel was assigned to the affected routes. She was seen on surveillance footage using the cards at multiple locations, police said.

They added they secured warrants against Braziel to charge her with two counts of financial transaction card fraud.

Braziel was arrested Thursday and is being held on a $5,000 bond plus fees, Cobb County Jail records showed Friday.

"The Austell Police Department appreciates the assistance of the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General throughout this investigation and emphasizes the importance of safeguarding mail and reporting suspected theft," police said in a news release.