When you work for the United States Postal Service, you can’t throw away people’s mail or discard hundreds of mail-in ballots. That’s what happened in Utah, where former USPS worker Damon Matai Seei, 34, of Payson, Utah, decided to chuck away tons of mail for residents of Eagle Mountain, including mail-in ballots. The incident occurred on June 23, 2026. Seei reportedly dumped the mail in a dumpster in a church parking lot (via DOJ):

An indictment was unsealed today charging a former postman with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) with unlawful secretion, destruction, and delay of mail after he allegedly unlawfully threw away mail that he was entrusted to deliver – including approximately 300 mail-in ballots to registered voters in Utah.

Damon Matai Seei, 34, of Payson, Utah, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Sept. 16. He was arrested and appeared for his arraignment at the Orrin G. Hatch U.S. Courthouse this afternoon.

“When American voters lawfully cast their vote, they should feel confident that it is counted,” said Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter. “Allegedly throwing away hundreds of ballots is a serious federal crime that undermines the integrity of our elections. Ballot integrity is not a partisan issue.”

“When the defendant allegedly threw away the mail he was entrusted to deliver, he also threw away the chance for those citizens to exercise their right to vote,” said U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak for the District of Utah. “Our office, along with our law enforcement partners, takes these offenses seriously and will continue to investigate them to ensure justice is served for anyone whose constitutional right to vote has been infringed.”

“Every eligible voter deserves confidence that our elections are lawful, secure, and fair. Homeland Security Investigations supports the integrity of the voting process by working closely with the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Offices, and our law enforcement partners to investigate alleged federal criminal violations that may undermine election integrity, including unlawful voting, fraudulent voter registration, false claims of U.S. citizenship, identity fraud, and document fraud,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon. “HSI’s mission is to safeguard the homeland by conducting evidence-based, thorough, and impartial investigations. We will continue to follow the facts, uphold the rule of law, and refer criminal violations for prosecutorial review in order to protect the integrity of lawful voting.”

Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter had more:

The DOJ added that Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd C. Bouton for the District of Utah will be prosecuting the case.