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Charges dismissed against Jamesport postmaster accused of stealing

Jamesport Post Office

Felony and misdemeanor charges against the Rocky Point woman who had been accused of skimming nearly $2,000 from the Jamesport Post Office in 2014 have been dropped.

Marie Puccio, 53, was originally charged with fourth-degree grand larceny, a felony, falsifying business records, official misconduct and petit larceny when she was arrested in May of last year.

Since then, all of those charges have been dismissed. Ms. Puccio, who was postmaster at the time of her arrest, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, a violation, in Riverhead Town court Wednesday morning.

Her lawyer, Tom Teresky, said Ms. Puccio paid her restitution and withdrew her previous guilty plea to petit larceny. She had previously served one year on interim probation.

Marie PuccioHe said her charges were dismissed “in satisfaction with everything.” Under her guilty plea for the disorderly conduct charge she has to pay a $350 fine, Hon. Alan Smith said.

The investigation began in 2013 when an anonymous caller gave a tip to the Inspector General’s office.

In a previous News-Review article, Riverhead Police Detective David Freeborn, who aided the U.S.P.S. Office of the Inspector General, said Ms. Puccio “was caught doctoring her time card, putting down hours that she worked that she didn’t actually work.”

Ms. Puccio was also accused of stealing money from the post office register between Dec. 30, 2013 and March 21, 2014. Her theft allegedly totaled about $1,930.

But Mr. Teresky told the News-Review accusations of theft from the register were false.

“From the beginning, there wasn’t money being taken out of a drawer or anything like that,” he said. Instead, he said, his client had been coming into work late and leaving early, but not reflecting that on her time card.

Mr. Teresky said last week he found it strange the charges against Ms. Puccio had been pursued in the first place, adding the case was “pretty wacky.”

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With Paul Squire

Photo Caption: Marie Puccio in a 2014 mug shot. (Credit: Riverhead police)