United States of America v. David Alan Boutte

Kansas City, Kansas, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with f theft or receipt of stolen mail.

David Alan Boutte, 60, of Olathe, Kansas, was an employee of the Blue Valley Post Office in Overland Park. In January 2026, the U.S. Postal Service - Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG) received a tip from a witness who saw Boutte dispose of brightly colored envelopes which appeared to be for greeting cards into the trash bin outside his home. The witness looked in Boutte’s trash and found four postmarked letters that were opened and not addressed to Boutte’s home.

Twice in February 2026, USPS-OIG and the Olathe Police Department collected trash from the curb outside Boutte’s home. Both times law enforcement found multiple opened, stamped letters not addressed to the residence.

In March, as officers executed search warrants at Boutte’s home and at the post office, they found among his belongings $1,624 in cash, 141 gift cards, letters addressed to other people, and approximately 1,700 stamps on rolls and sheets. They also found a USPS arrow key (a master key mail carriers use to open outdoor collection boxes, cluster box units, apartment mailbox panels) and a USPS facility key.

The Defendant elected to plead guilty to stealing mail addressed to postal customers.