Judge Delivers Jail Time to Postal Worker Who Duped USPS Out of $1 Million

The cash-strapped United States Postal Service took a financial hit in Connecticut when a former employee engaged in bribery and fraud that cost the mail service about $1 million — and now the man behind the scam is going to jail.

Federal authorities say Robert Giulietti used his position as facilities project manager at the USPS Northeast Facilities Office in Windsor, Conn., to "engage in intolerable criminal conduct" between 2009 and 2011.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Giulietti admitted that he accepted approximately $89,000 from two contractors to direct inflated USPS facilities construction contracts to them. Also, around September 2009, the 57-year-old Cheshire resident formed MGC LLC to do business with the USPS on projects on which he worked, authorities said.  

MGC was owned in name by Giulietti's wife, and its business address was his home address, on South Pond Circle in Cheshire, Conn.

Authorities described the fraudalent activity this way: 

Operating MGC from his USPS office in Windsor, Giulietti used his position to direct USPS contracts to MGC, to approve MGC’s work and to authorize payment to MGC for work. After Giulietti directed USPS contracts to MGC, he engaged other contractors to perform the actual work involved with each project.  

Giulietti generated almost a million dollars in profit by having MGC charge USPS more than MGC had to pay the contractors who performed the actual work. Between November 2009 and November 2011, he directed more than 150 USPS facility projects to MGC, causing a loss to the USPS of approximately $982,064.68.

Authorities said Giulietti also filed false federal income tax returns for the 2008 through 2011 tax years by fraudulently deducting payments from MGC to members of his family, and by not reporting the corrupt payments that he received.

For all of this, and specifically on the charges of bribery of a public official, one count of wire fraud and one count of filing a false tax return, U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport sentenced Giulietti Friday to 42 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release.

As part of his sentence, Giulietti is required to pay restitution in the amount of $882,064.68, and back taxes penalties and interest in the amount of $291,026.82. Judge Underhill also ordered the forfeiture of a residence Giulietti owns on South Pond Circle in Cheshire, a 2012 Chevrolet Equinox, and approximately $740,000 that was seized from bank accounts.

Giulietti, who was arrested on Dec. 13, 2012, and entered a plea of guilty on Feb. 7, 2014, was ordered to report to prison on July 23, 2014.

"Mr. Giulietti put the desire for his own personal enrichment ahead of his duty when he betrayed his position of trust and defrauded the U.S. Postal Service. His sentencing today is the inevitable outcome of his actions,” said Tom Frost, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Major Fraud Investigations Division. 

“The prosecution of corrupt public employees is a top priority of this Office,” Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, said. “This defendant not only accepted bribes and defrauded the U.S. Postal Service of nearly a million dollars, but he cheated on his taxes, as well. It is intolerable criminal conduct."

Authorities said their investigation is ongoing.