WHITE PLAINS- Two former postal workers are accused of stealing gift cards mailed by residents of Putnam and Westchester, explaining why the cards never reached their recipients.
Mail sent from the two counties is processed at a regional postal facility in White Plains and the Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jamie McDonald, and Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Area Field Office of the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Matthew M. Modafferi, announced Monday that Pian Pian Wong-Tam, a former USPS Mail Processing Clerk in White Plains, and William Wong, a former USPS Mail Clerk in Millwood, have been charged in a scheme and conspiracy in which Wong-Tam took mail, stole gift cards and other items out of that mail, and then, together with Wong, used those gift cards and other items.
McDonald alleged that Wong-Tam stole more than 200 gift cards out of mail entrusted to her for processing, and then, together with Wong, used the “gift cards for their own benefit, abusing their positions of trust and victimizing hundreds of people in the process. The complaint against Wong-Tam and Wong should send a clear message that stealing from the mail entrusted to USPS for delivery is a serious federal offense that will not be tolerated.”
Investigators learned after receiving several customer complaints about mail being delivered damaged, with gift cards missing, a probe revealed that, from April 2025 to July 24, 2026, Wong-Tam took advantage of her position of trust at the processing facility to steal, among other things, gift cards from the mail she was responsible for processing. Wong-Tam then shared the gift cards she stole with Wong and, together, they used those gift cards at multiple businesses in several states, according to postal inspectors.
“Misconduct by postal employees undermines the trust placed in the Postal Service and will not be tolerated,” Modafferi said.
The pairs’ scheme resulted in the theft of more than 200 gift cards, ranging in value from $25 to $500 each.
Wong-Tam, 59, and Wong 57, both New York City residents, are each charged with conspiracy to steal and unlawfully possess mail, unlawful possession of mail, conspiracy to commit access device fraud, and access device fraud.
If found guilty the pair face up to 25 years in prison.
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