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A former U.S. Postal Service worker in Utah has been indicted after federal prosecutors alleged he dumped hundreds of pieces of mail, including roughly 300 mail-in ballots intended for voters in the state’s June primary election.
Damon Matai Seei, 34, of Payson, Utah, was arrested Tuesday and appeared in federal court in Salt Lake City after a grand jury indicted him on one count of unlawful secretion, destruction and delay of mail.
Seei pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he could face up to five years in federal prison.
According to the Justice Department, Seei was working as a letter carrier on June 3 when he was assigned to deliver mail to at least 300 residents in Eagle Mountain.
The delivery included advertisements and hundreds of ballots that had been mailed to registered voters ahead of Utah’s June 23 primary.
Instead, prosecutors allege Seei threw some of the mail into a dumpster in a church parking lot shortly after beginning his route.
Federal authorities said Seei later acknowledged throwing away mail because he wanted to “lighten his workload.”
In a written statement cited in court filings, Seei said he had been overwhelmed by the volume of mail and decided to discard advertisements so he could focus on other deliveries.
Prosecutors, however, said Seei had separated the ballots at the beginning of his shift and argued that it was implausible he did not know ballots were among the mail that ended up in the dumpster.
Authorities have not alleged that Seei was acting on behalf of a political campaign or attempting to help or hurt a particular candidate.
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Utah U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak said Seei indicated to investigators that he had no political motivation and did not intend to throw away the ballots.
The missing ballots came to light after Eagle Mountain residents began complaining that they had never received them.
Utah County Clerk Aaron Davidson investigated and determined voter participation in the area was unusually low, according to court documents.
Further outreach reportedly revealed that hundreds of residents had not received ballots that had been mailed to them.
Seei is no longer employed by the Postal Service.
The Justice Department announced the case as part of a broader election integrity enforcement effort Tuesday.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said the alleged destruction of election mail was being treated as a serious federal matter.
Under Utah’s current voting system, active registered voters are automatically mailed ballots, though the state is set to move to an opt-in system beginning in 2029.
The investigation into the discarded mail remains ongoing.
Seei’s next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 30. The indictment contains allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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[ H/T Trending Politics ]
