Postal worker charged in stamp theft

DETROIT, May 12 (UPI) -- A U.S. postal worker in Michigan allegedly sold more than $19,000 in stamps on eBay to fund his mortgage payments, federal court documents said.

John Auito, 42, of Macomb Township, allegedly began stealing the stamps in September 2008 because he was late in his payments and feared foreclosure on his home, the Detroit Free Press reported Tuesday.

Auito allegedly monitored sales of stamps on eBay and then contacted people who lost auctions to say he could sell them stamps at a discount, said Linda Ann Martin, a U.S. Post Office investigator.