An Orlando man is facing serious charges for allegedly discarding election-related mail while working as a contract U.S. postal worker. Ottis McCoy was arrested on Friday after he reportedly abandoned over 1,000 pieces of mail, including a mail-in ballot, during his delivery route.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is leading the investigation, with inspector Charles Johnsten noting in a criminal complaint that surveillance footage captured McCoy tossing a significant amount of mail into a wooded area. This incident occurred on Tuesday while he was on duty.
Suspicion arose when another postal worker noticed McCoy returning early from his route after loading a large quantity of mail into a van. A tracking device confirmed deviations from his expected delivery path.
Authorities later recovered over 1,000 pieces of discarded mail, which included more than 400 items related to elections, as well as the aforementioned ballot. The mail was scattered in the woods close to his delivery route.
As of now, it remains unclear if McCoy has secured legal representation. This situation echoes a similar incident earlier this year in Tennessee, where a postal worker was indicted for throwing mail into a dumpster after a TikTok video went viral. Federal charges were brought against him for delaying mail delivery.
Although there’s no evidence suggesting political motives in these cases, concerns over the security of election mail have been heightened with the upcoming presidential elections. Former President Donald Trump previously claimed voting by mail was prone to fraud, despite urging supporters to vote by any means in the current race.
Moreover, the FBI is currently investigating a fake video that falsely depicted mail-in ballots being destroyed in Pennsylvania. Officials have clarified that this misinformation was created and spread by Russian actors aiming to sow distrust in the electoral process.
The FBI, alongside the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, has warned that more deceptive content could emerge as the election approaches, potentially further dividing public opinion.