CAMDEN, N.J. — An investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark led to the conviction of a former U.S. Postal Service mail carrier for bribery, fraud and conspiracy charges.
Emerson Pavilus, 49, of Union, was convicted on Aug. 15, on all three counts of an indictment charging him with receiving bribes as a public official, conspiring to defraud the United States, and conspiring to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. The jury returned the verdict following a trial before U.S. Circuit Court Judge Stephanos Bibas, sitting by designation in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
“Pavilus abused his government position in a conspiracy to facilitate the delivery of parcels laden with dangerous narcotics to drug traffickers,” said acting HSI Newark Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker. “Thanks to our strong partnerships with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General, we were able to uncover Pavilus’ corruption and hold him accountable for his actions. A public official taking a bribe stands against everything the proud law enforcement professionals of HSI Newark represent each and every day. We take crimes of public corruption seriously and will continue to work with our partners to bring to justice those on the wrong side of the law.”
According to the investigation, Pavilus was a mail carrier at the post office in Flanders. From at least 2015 to 2020, Pavilus received cash payments in exchange for helping individuals intercept packages containing illegal narcotics and other illicit materials. Pavilus provided his conspirators with addresses for vacant houses along his mail route to which they could ship illegal packages. Pavilus then intercepted those packages from the mail stream and personally delivered them to his conspirators in exchange for bribe payments at places other than the addresses listed on the packages.
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About HSI
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce consists of over 10,000 employees, assigned to 235 offices within the United States and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI's international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.