DA: Postmaster opened packages
Pittsburgh Postmaster Daniel Paul Davis of Canonsburg has been charged with official oppression and witness intimidation after allegedly threatening postal employees who told authorities they saw him opening packages containing drugs.
A criminal complaint from the office of the Allegheny County district attorney said a witness first saw Davis open an express mail package at the East Liberty Post Office in August 2014.
Davis, 50, allegedly called a female employee and told her to watch for possible drug shipments from other states and said she shouldn’t talk to any investigators.
Davis was named acting postmaster in August 2014 and took the job permanently six months later, according to police.
According to investigators, Davis would search Google for the addresses of the sender and recipient of a package, and if either came back as invalid locations, he would open the packages.
Investigators said after he was seen opening coffee bags containing marijuana, cocaine and heroin, he told a second witness he was “the most ruthless (expletive) you’ll ever meet,” and that the witness shouldn’t “cross him.” According to the complaint, he told the first witness “the last person who crossed (him) is no longer (an employee).”
He allegedly told one of the witnesses, “You don’t know what I’m capable of. Do you remember what I told you? You better not say anything. I will kill you.”
“He was telling people they would lose their job. He was saying to at least one person that he would kill them. Altogether, we have four people who provided information and are ultimately victims,” said District Attorney Stephen Zappala.
Pittsburgh region Postal Service spokesman Tad Kelley said he could not comment on the status of Davis’ employment.