Former Clearwater postal clerk admits to stealing gift cards

TAMPA — A former postal clerk admits in a federal plea agreement that she stole gift cards out of the mail while on duty the week before Christmas in the main Clearwater Post Office.

Tonya Marie White, 25, pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor charge of opening mail without authority, punishable by no more than a year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.

White acknowledged the theft of four cards — for Target, Home Depot, Old Navy and Barnes & Noble — from a single Connecticut-bound envelope deposited Dec. 17, according to the signed agreement filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court.

She worked at the facility from March through December, sorting mail and helping customers, according to the record.