Mail theft suspect retires after arrest

The United States postal clerk believed to be responsible for many of the University's mail problems retired this month, U.S. Postal Inspector Lou Recchilongo confirmed yesterday. Gerald Ricca, who worked with the Postal Service for 30 years before retiring, was placed on emergency suspension after he was arrested and charged last month with one count of mail theft. Last month, Recchilongo observed Ricca opening three greeting card envelopes sent to University addresses containing a total of $130 in cash. The cards were planted into the mail system at the 30th Street Post Office as a part of an on-going investigation. According to Recchilongo, Ricca was under an administrative investigation by the U.S. Postal Service Human Resources Department when he opted to retire. Although Ricca's record will show he was under investigation when he retired, the department levied no sanctions against him, Recchilongo said. "The Postal Service was getting ready to remove him," the postal inspector added. But at the age of 55, Ricca had a sufficient number of years of service to retire instead of being fired. "A pending investigation cannot keep you from retiring," Recchilongo said. He also said Ricca could have filed a grievance against the Postal Service. The American Postal Worker's Union declined comment on Ricca's status. Although Ricca retired, the U.S. attorney's office is still handling a criminal case against him. And Recchilongo said additional charges of mail theft will be filed against Ricca in the near future. Mail theft is a felony punishable by a fine of $2,000, five years in prison, or both. Ricca's was the first arrest of any postal employee with regard to the University's mail problems. He is suspected to be responsible for many of the long-standing mail problems that have plagued the University, particularly those in the Quadrangle. "I believe he is responsible for a great deal of rifled and missing mail," Recchilongo said last month. More than 1,400 reports of lost or damaged mail were filed with Residential Living since 1992. Assistant Director of Residential Living Services Nancy McCue said yesterday that the number of reported mail problems greatly decreased after Ricca's arrest. Since the arrest at the end of last month, only two students have reported lost mail, in contrast to the 250 reports filed in the previous two months. "I'm assuming it probably accounted for a good amount of mail problems," McCue said. "But I don't think you can say there will never be another postal problem." She added that the two reports are presently under investigation. But Recchilongo said he believes that neither the University nor the 30th Street Post Office is to blame for the claims.