WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Two former U.S. Postal Service employees were charged Friday in a scheme to steal more than 200 gift cards from the mail and use them for personal purchases, federal prosecutors stated Friday.
Pian Pian Wong-Tam, 59, formerly a mail processing clerk at the Postal Service’s White Plains processing center, allegedly took gift cards from mail she handled between April 2025 and July 24, 2026. Prosecutors said she shared the cards with William Wong, 57, a former mail clerk in Millwood, and that the two used them at businesses in several states.
The investigation began after customers complained that mail arrived damaged and expected gift cards were missing, according to the criminal complaint. The cards were valued at $25 to $500 each. Prosecutors did not provide a total loss figure.
Both defendants face mail possession, conspiracy and access device fraud charges. Wong-Tam also faces a charge of mail theft by a postal employee. They appeared Friday before a federal magistrate judge in White Plains.
The charges are allegations. Wong-Tam and Wong are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The complaints began with damaged mail and missing gift cards. Investigators say they traced the thefts to Pian Pian Wong-Tam, a mail processing clerk at the U.S. Postal Service’s White Plains facility.
According to a federal complaint, Wong-Tam took gift cards from mail she handled between April 2025 and July 24, 2026, and shared them with William Wong, a mail clerk at a Millwood post office. Prosecutors allege the two used the cards at businesses in several states. At least 200 gift cards, each valued at $25 to $500, were stolen, the complaint says.
Wong-Tam, 59, and Wong, 57, both of New York City, are charged with conspiracy to steal and possess mail, unlawful possession of mail, conspiracy to commit access device fraud and two counts of access device fraud. Wong-Tam also is charged with mail theft by a postal employee. Each access device fraud count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; each of the other counts carries a maximum of five years.
The charges are allegations, and both defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Quick fact checklist
- 🔴 Defendants: Pian Pian Wong-Tam and William Wong, both 57 or older and residents of New York City.
- 🔴 Allegation: Wong-Tam stole gift cards from mail; prosecutors say the two used them for personal gain.
- 🔴 Scale: At least 200 cards, valued at $25 to $500 each.
- 🔴 Period: April 2025 through July 24, 2026.
- 🔴 Status: Charged, with no finding of guilt.