On Thursday, Nicholas Beauchene, a former U.S. Postal Service mail carrier, pleaded guilty in federal court as he dumped 99 general election ballots and nearly 2,000 pieces of mail last fall in New Jersey.
The official charge is the desertion of mails. Beauchene faces a maximum of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. The sentence will be carried out in September.
In an official statement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office wrote, “Beauchene admitted that on Sept. 28, Oct. 1, and Oct. 2, 2020, he discarded into dumpsters in North Arlington, New Jersey, and West Orange 1,875 pieces of mail that he was assigned to deliver to postal customers in West Orange and Orange, New Jersey. This mail included 627 pieces of first-class mail, 873 pieces of standard class mail, two pieces of certified mail, 99 general election ballots destined for residents in West Orange, and 276 campaign flyers from local candidates for West Orange Town Council and Board of Education. Law enforcement recovered the mail on Oct. 2, 2020, and Oct. 5, 2020, and placed it back into the mail stream for delivery.”
According to U.S. Attorney Sara F. Merin, Beauchene’s motives weren’t politically motivated.