A 51-year-old former postmaster has pleaded guilty to theft by government employee after she was caught embezzling more than $57,400 from the U.S. Postal Service between January 2023 and February 2025.
Joyce Smith, who served as postmaster in Scott City, Kansas, admitted to diverting funds from routine customer payments meant for government entities and businesses. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas, Smith accepted checks for permits or mass mailings but failed to log them into USPS records.
The stolen money included approximately $40,000 in checks—such as $16,788 from the City of Scott City (a community with a population under 4,000 and median income of $54,800), $5,850 from the Scott County Landfill, and $17,108 from a local newspaper. Additionally, Smith stole about $10,600 in cash payments from customers, issued herself around $3,700 in money orders, and embezzled another $3,400 from fees paid by customers for their P.O. boxes.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Kriegshauser stated that Smith likely believed her position would allow her to “fill her pockets with money” without consequences. He noted her actions “remind us of why audits and other forms of government oversight of financial records are necessary.”
The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General confirmed the guilty plea resulted from “hard work and dedication” by special agents in the U.S. attorney’s office, while Special Agent in Charge Dennus Bishop emphasized law enforcement partners remain committed to “safeguarding the U.S. Mail and ensuring the accountability and integrity of U.S. Postal Service employees.”
