Contract postal worker accused of tossing political mail in Orange County

A U.S. Mail contract postal worker is accused of throwing 1,000 pieces of mail — including at least one mail-in ballot and 400 political mailings — into the woods Tuesday in Orange County instead of delivering the items just before the Nov. 5 election, according to a new federal criminal complaint.

Ottis Nicole McCoy Jr. tossed the mail into a neighborhood cul-de-sac in Alafaya Woods, authorities said in the criminal complaint filed Friday in the U.S. District Court’s Orlando division.

Suspicions about McCoy were raised after another employee helped McCoy load the day’s route that morning and McCoy left “with a very large quantity of U.S. Mail” to deliver Tuesday but instead finished the route earlier than expected, the complaint said. 

McCoy’s boss at Cummings Contract Delivery Service Corp checked the GPS under McCoy’s car and could see the postal worker veered off his route. Another delivery service employee drove to the empty lot and found the mail scattered on the ground and in the bushes, the federal records said.

The United States Postal Inspection Service was notified about what happened, the criminal complaint said.

Adding to the evidence against McCoy was a homeowner who lived on Lalique Lane at the cul-de-sac and had surveillance video that captured McCoy arriving at 5:14 p.m. and throwing the mail out.

“It is extremely concerning to see vote-by-mail ballots discarded on the ground. We are, however, grateful for the prompt action taken by the United States Postal Service and the leadership of United States Attorney Roger Handberg from the Middle District of Florida,” said Orange County Elections Supervisor Glen Gilzean in a statement Friday. “We are fully committed to ensuring that every impacted Orange County voter receives their vote-by-mail ballot in time so that every voice can be heard in this historic election.”

The federal court filing includes screenshots of the surveillance video and photos of the mail.

Ottis Nicole McCoy Jr. is accused of stealing mail.

Court Watch broke the story about the federal case. McCoy faces a criminal charge of stealing or taking the mail.

The U.S. Post Service did not immediately respond to a Florida Politics request for comment Friday. The U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment.

Court records did not indicate who is representing McCoy.

The criminal case comes as early voting is underway in an election with big implications for the presidential race as well as several statewide and Orange County initiatives and competitive local races.

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