A former U.S. Postal Service worker in Utah has been indicted on a federal charge after prosecutors alleged he dumped hundreds of pieces of mail, including approximately 300 mail-in ballots intended for voters ahead of the state’s June primary election.
Damon Matai Seei, 34, of Payson, Utah, was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 16 and arrested this week. The indictment charges him with one count of unlawful secretion, destruction and delay of mail.
Seei has pleaded not guilty. The charge carries a maximum potential sentence of five years in federal prison.
According to Justice Department court filings, Seei was working as a USPS letter carrier on June 3 when he was responsible for delivering mail to at least 300 residents in Eagle Mountain.
That day’s mail included advertisements and hundreds of ballots mailed to registered voters for Utah’s June 23 primary.
But prosecutors allege some of that mail never made it anywhere near a mailbox.
Instead, Seei allegedly dumped it into a trash bin located in a church parking lot.
Federal prosecutors say Seei later admitted that he discarded mail because he wanted to “lighten his workload,” allowing him to finish his route earlier. Court filings say Seei told investigators he intended to throw away advertisements, not election ballots.
Prosecutors are questioning that explanation.
According to the government’s detention filing, Seei had separated the ballots from other mail at the beginning of his shift. Prosecutors argue that evidence undermines the suggestion that he was unaware ballots were included among the discarded material.
Authorities have not accused Seei of attempting to influence the primary, targeting voters because of their political affiliation, or acting on behalf of any candidate or political organization.
U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak has said Seei indicated to investigators that he had no political motivation and did not intentionally discard the ballots.
The missing mail was discovered after residents began reporting that expected ballots had never arrived. Utah County officials investigated, and court filings describe concerns about unusually low voter participation in the affected area. Additional outreach reportedly identified hundreds of residents who had not received ballots mailed to them.
The case highlights a basic vulnerability in any voting system that relies on ballots traveling through the mail: election officials can prepare and send a ballot correctly, but voters still depend upon successful delivery.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said the federal government considers allegations involving discarded election mail a serious matter.
“Allegedly throwing away hundreds of ballots is a serious federal crime that undermines the integrity of our elections,” McCotter said. “Ballot integrity is not a partisan issue.”
The Justice Department announced the indictment as part of a broader set of election-integrity enforcement actions.
Seei is no longer employed by the Postal Service. The investigation was conducted jointly by the USPS Office of Inspector General and Homeland Security Investigations.
His next scheduled court appearance is November 30.
For all the attention generated by the discovery of hundreds of ballots in a dumpster, the case remains an allegation, not a conviction. Seei is presumed innocent unless prosecutors prove the charge against him beyond a reasonable doubt.
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