Former USPS Official James E. Lee Sr. Pleads Guilty to Bribery: Steered Contracts Worth Hundreds of Millions, Relative Paid Nearly $183,000
The U.S. Department of Justice announced on October 29 that James E. Lee Sr., a former procurement official for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), pleaded guilty that day to conspiring to commit bribery and honest services wire fraud. Lee was a product management specialist overseeing expedited packaging supplies and served as a contracting officer representative on several contracts to manufacture and provide those supplies.
According to court documents, between approximately mid-2018 and late 2023, Lee and others steered the procurement process for lucrative USPS contracts, worth hundreds of millions of dollars in certain instances, so they would be awarded to, or retained by, four different companies. Lee gave the companies preferential treatment and competitive advantages, including reviewing draft technical proposals and disclosing confidential internal information regarding pricing and other issues.
Lee also performed official acts and influenced other officials, and used a relative and the relative's consulting company as an intermediary to pass information and conceal his efforts. In exchange, the companies hired Lee's relative as an employee or consultant, resulting in payments totaling nearly $183,000.
Lee's relative and a former executive for one of the manufacturing companies have also pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Lee is scheduled for sentencing on February 25, 2027.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, Executive Special Agent in Charge Kevin Cloninger of the USPS Office of Inspector General, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Richard Evanchec made the announcement. The USPS Office of Inspector General and the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office are investigating the case, and Chief Edward P. Sullivan of the Criminal Division's Public Integrity Section is prosecuting it.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 位于华盛顿的美国邮政局（USPS）总部入口。Tony Webster 摄，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Entrance to U.S. Postal Service headquarters in Washington, D.C. Photo by Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
