SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC4) — A former Express Mail Clerk with the USPS was convicted Wednesday by a federal jury of mail fraud after years of delaying and destroying immigration mail.

Diana K. Molyneux worked the night shift at the USPS Processing and Delivery Center for several years before she was arrested for mail fraud.

According to a press release, Molyneaux sorted and processed Express and Priority Mail intended to be delivered locally or dispatched to Reno, Nevada. Among this mail was priority immigration mail from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Starting in 2017, several immigration mailers from the USCIS went missing, and other mail clerks reported that they found USCIS mail in the shredder bin, outside the delivery stream, or tampered with.

Because of these immigration mail reports, a criminal investigation was initiated. Between April 2018 and June 2018, Molyneux was captured on camera digging through pre-sorted mail and setting aside priority immigration mail.

Between August and September of 2018, agents witnessed Molyneux again removing pre-sorted USCIS immigration mail. In September, Molyneux buried six pieces of priority immigration mail deep in a shred bin. Molyneaux was terminated, and immediately afterward the complaints about lost USCIS mail ceased.

“Ms. Molyneux used her position as a U.S. Postal employee to interfere with the delivery of mail. The fact that she targeted immigration mail makes this offense more egregious,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “We will continue to work with law enforcement to investigate and prosecute cases where public servants abuse their position to discriminate and cause harm to our community.”

On May 10, a federal jury found Molyneaux guilty of destruction of mail. Investigators have not revealed what her motive was. Her sentencing will be on August 1, 2023, at the Orrin G. Hatch U.S. District Courthouse.