BELIZE CITY, Mon. Apr. 18, 2016–A former employee of the Belize Postal Service was arraigned on charges of theft this afternoon when he appeared at the Magistrate’s Court and he pleaded guilty to stealing $20,610 from the Post Office during the period of July to December 2015.
Sergio Alonso Patt, a resident of San Jose, Orange Walk District, appeared before Magistrate Carlon Mendoza and pleaded guilty to six counts of theft from the Belize Postal Service.
The 31-year-old Patt appeared in court along with some members of his family, who were very emotional when they learned that he would not be going back home with them, but instead would be taking up a one-year residence at the Belize Central Prison. Patt’s new wife and his brother appeared in court with him.
In asking for leniency, Patt told Magistrate Mendoza, “I did it because of sickness. I had my mother sick. She died from diabetes. Then my brother was sick and I have three children. Then my wife died a year ago.”
The first count of theft occurred between July 1 and July 24, 2015, when Patt stole $300. For the second count, he stole $2,855 during the month of August.
For count three, he stole $3,815, between the period of September 2 and September 28, 2015; for count four, he stole, $5,815 between the period of October 5 and October 28, 2015, and in count five, he stole $6,410 between the period of November 2 and November 30, 2015.
On the sixth count, he stole $2,040 between the period of December 1 and December 31, 2015.
The theft report was made by Roxanna Williams, 42, supervisor at Belize Postal Service, Belize City, who made the report to police at Precinct 3. Williams reported to police that between July 2015 and December 2015, $20,610 was stolen from the Post Office Express Mail section in Belize City.
At the time when the theft occurred, the manager of the section was Patt.
According to Williams, after an audit was completed, she discovered that Patt was the person who was handling and collecting the money during normal working hours, and that he would produce fraudulent spreadsheet reports to cover it up.
On Saturday, April 16, 2016, Patt was detained in Corozal Town and was today charged by police for six counts of theft.
Late this evening, Patt’s three children – two girls, ages 8 and 3, and his 7-year-old son, waved goodbye to him as police escorted him onto the bus bound for the Belize Central Prison.