Postal Worker Found Guilty Of Mail Theft

A federal jury made an open-and-shut case out of the trial of Cate A. Plauche, a former Lafayette mail carrier, who has now been found guilty of stealing mail.

According to U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley, the jury deliberated for 17 minutes Monday following a one-day trial yielding Plauche's guilty verdict on 11 counts of mail theft.

Plauche reportedly stole hundreds of dollars from mail in April last year while employed at a Lafayette post office.

She faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, restitution and a $250,000 fine for each count.