BALTIMORE — A federal audit has found delayed mail, missing postal keys and inaccurate package scans at Baltimore-area post offices as customers continue to report problems with mail that never arrives.
For Reisterstown resident Crystal Micriotti, those problems aren't new.
“I have had packages just never show up,” Micriotti told WMAR-2 News Mallory Sofastaii. “I've had packages they delivered and days will go by and it might show up.”
One delivery was particularly unusual.
"A package had its label cut off, put into a [We Care] USPS bag saying, sorry, about your packaging, accidents happen. We were a little rough with it. And instead of what I ordered, which was a jacket, I had two E-Z Passes shoved inside the bag with the label cut off of my previous package," said Micriotti. “I thought it was pretty insane, absurd. I actually thought it was a joke."
Micriotti said the mail problems go back years and include mail delivered to the wrong address, packages that never arrive and packages that show up days after tracking indicates they were delivered.
She has written to USPS, its Office of Inspector General and other postal contacts. She is also encouraging other Reisterstown residents to file their own complaints.
“I want to just get enough people involved that we just keep making noise until somebody investigates or does something,” Micriotti said.
Customer complaints are one factor the USPS Office of Inspector General considers when deciding where to audit. It recently completed a review of four Baltimore-area offices:
- Hampden/Roland Park Station
- Loch Raven Branch
- Nottingham Branch
- Raspeburg Station
OIG selected the four offices based in part on customer delivery complaints, along with packages scanned away from their delivery locations and other delivery problems.
The final report found delayed mail, arrow-key issues and property-condition problems at all four locations.
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Auditors also found problems with package tracking.
On the morning of April 14, auditors examined 97 packages sitting at the four post offices and reviewed their tracking histories. They found 22 packages with improper scans or handling issues at Hampden/Roland Park and Loch Raven, including five that had already been scanned as delivered and three listed as being held at the customer's request when no hold had been requested.
In addition, auditors examined controls surrounding USPS arrow keys, which can open collection boxes and other mail receptacles.
Postal Service records listed 246 keys as in use, in a vault or damaged at the audited units.
OIG's physical review found 32 of those 246 keys were missing or lost, while 60 additional keys weren't recorded in the system at Loch Raven, Nottingham and Raspeburg.
Management at Loch Raven and Raspeburg had not reported 29 of the 32 missing or lost keys to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, according to the report.
“When there is insufficient oversight and supervision of accountable items, such as arrow keys, there is an increased risk of mail theft,” auditors wrote.
One of the four audited locations is Hampden/Roland Park, where another customer told WMAR-2 News she previously mailed a check that never reached its intended recipient.
The woman asked us not to identify her. She said she dropped the $5,375 check into the USPS collection box outside the Hampden Post Office. It was intended to pay for a family member's senior living facility.
Instead, the check was altered and made payable to a different person. Her bank stopped the transaction when someone attempted to cash it.
The OIG audit does not establish a connection between its arrow-key findings and the theft of this customer's check. But the case is part of a larger problem WMAR-2 News has been investigating.
In 2025, WMAR-2 News documented multiple cases of checks disappearing after customers mailed them through Baltimore-area post offices, only to be altered and presented for payment.
One Baltimore-area business owner told us last year that an estimated 25 to 30 checks intended for his company had disappeared from the mail, with some altered and cashed.
At the time, USPS OIG confirmed its Baltimore office was “working diligently multiple check theft investigations.”
MORE: Persistent mail theft in Baltimore area leads to federal investigation request
We asked OIG for an update as part of our latest investigation.
“The check investigations you asked about are currently ongoing,” Assistant Special Agent in Charge Charlene Cerra told WMAR-2 News.
OIG declined to provide additional information, citing its policy regarding ongoing investigations.
Baltimore has had a new postmaster since June.
WMAR-2 News requested an interview to discuss the audit findings and ongoing customer complaints. USPS declined the interview request.
Micriotti contacted USPS Strategic Communications representative Mark Lawrence directly on September 10 about her concerns. When WMAR-2 News later asked USPS about repeated missing or misdelivered mail in Reisterstown, Lawrence wrote: “Regarding Reisterstown, we are currently unaware of instances of repeated missing or misdelivered mail. However, we regret to hear about this mishap, and we take such matters seriously.”
USPS encouraged customers experiencing mail problems to call 1-800-ASK-USPS.
The Inspector General made five recommendations following its Baltimore-area audit. USPS agreed with all five.
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“The Postal Service's remedies to the OIG findings are contained in the Oct. 1 report and are currently underway or completed,” Lawrence told WMAR-2 News.
Micriotti wants to see whether those changes translate to better service for customers.
“If this is happening everywhere, then what's going on in Maryland?” she asked. “How do we change it? Who needs to get involved and will somebody please step up and take responsibility?”
Click here to file a complaint with the USPS OIG, or click here to report mail theft/fraud to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
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XThis story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.