LA Post Office Manager Stole Stamps to Support Gambling Addiction
Being addicted to gambling can destroy your life. People have lost everything trying to sate their hunger for the next win - houses, savings, families, and more. Case in point: 46-year-old Ryan Cortez was arrested this week in Kenner Louisiana, accused of stealing more than $630,000 from his employer in order to support his gambling problem.
Mr. Cortez was the Post Office Manager in Kenner, Louisiana. A criminal complaint filed there alleges that he embezzled $10,000 from the Des Allemands Mennonite Church where he was treasurer before he moved on to the big money maker - stamps. According to U.S. News and World Report, Cortez perpetrated "one of the largest internal postal thefts in U.S. Postal Service history." Cortez allegedly told authorities that he stole stamps and sold them on eBay. The Postal Service caught wind of this and launched an internal investigation that uncovered the immense scope of his indiscretions. The results of the investigation allege that he stole and sold more than $630,000 in stamps.
The Miami Herald claims that, since 2011, Cortez has lost around $667,000 at the Harrah’s Casino in New Orleans, even though he made roughly $70,000 a year.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, you can call the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.