Former Marysville postal supervisor guilty of thefts

A former Marysville post office supervisor pleaded guilty Friday in U.S. District Court in Sacramento to stealing $4,633 in money orders and cash from the office.

June Marie Casteel, 46, of Yuba City, committed the thefts between Sept. 5 and 10, 2009, said U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner.

Casteel took advantage of her position as supervisor to gain access to another employee's "clerk drawer" and used a point-of-sale password to issue five postal money orders. Two people cashed the money orders and gave her the proceeds, Wagner said.

Casteel submitted false financial records to hide the thefts and instructed the people who cashed the money orders to provide false information to federal investigators, he said.

Casteel faces a maximum five-year prison term, a fine up to $250,000 and three years' supervised release when she is sentenced on Sept. 10.

Judge Edward G. Garcia will determine the actual sentence, "which takes into account a number of variables," Wagner said.