Former mail carrier accused of dumping hundreds of mail-in ballots ahead of primary
(The Daily Signal) – The Justice Department unsealed an indictment against a former U.S. Postal Service worker accusing him of tossing about 300 mail-in ballots into a dumpster ahead of the June…
(The Daily Signal) – The Justice Department unsealed an indictment against a former U.S. Postal Service worker accusing him of tossing about 300 mail-in ballots into a dumpster ahead of the June Utah primary.
Damon Matai Seei, 34, of Payson, Utah, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Sept. 16. The indictment was sealed. He was arrested and appeared for his arraignment at the Orrin G. Hatch U.S. Courthouse Tuesday afternoon.
He was charged with unlawful secretion, destruction, and delay of mail.
Seei has denied the charges against him and pleaded not guilty.
“When American voters lawfully cast their vote, they should feel confident that it is counted,” Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said. “Allegedly throwing away hundreds of ballots is a serious federal crime that undermines the integrity of our elections. Ballot integrity is not a partisan issue.”
The case comes amid fierce debate about the safety of mail-in ballots. The U.S. Postal Service adopted guidelines to prevent potential tampering or fraud with ballots. Two federal judges in separate cases issued injunctions against the Postal Service policy from going into effect.
The policy was set to require states to enroll mail-in voters in a federal portal to verify their legal eligibility and base ballot mailings on compliance. It requires all mail-in ballots for federal elections to be transmitted in envelopes with new design requirements.
The Justice Department claims that on June 3, Seei was a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service and was entrusted to deliver mail to at least 300 Eagle Mountain, Utah, residents.
This included hundreds of mail-in ballots sent to Eagle Mountain residents to allow them to vote in a June 23, 2026, primary election.
Prosecutors allege Seei threw away some of the mail he was entrusted to deliver in a dumpster in a church parking lot.
Seei’s next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 30.
The case was investigated jointly by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and Homeland Security Investigations.
Also on Tuesday, HSI announced it had made 160 arrests and had 1,600 ongoing cases. Before this, the Justice Department charged or arrested about two dozen people in the month of September alone for alleged voter fraud-related crimes.
“Postal Service employees entrusted with delivering mail must uphold the highest standards of integrity,” said U.S. Postal Service Assistant Inspector General of Investigation Robert Kwalwasser. “Those who destroy mail intended for recipients will be held accountable for their criminal actions.”
