Connecticut postmaster pleads guilty to fraud in $875,000 bribery scheme with maintenance vendor

DANBURY, Conn. (AP) — A former Connecticut postmaster has admitted to defrauding the U.S. Postal Service of nearly $875,000. The scheme involved cash bribes, misuse of USPS credit cards and demands for free personal vehicle repairs. The longtime postmaster of the office in Danbury, a western Connecticut city of more than 86,700, Ephrem D. Nguyen pleaded guilty Friday to honest services wire fraud, a crime punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison. His guilty plea in the case, which remains under investigation, was announced Monday. Prosecutors say Nguyen solicited bribes from a vendor he had chosen to maintain and repair USPS vehicles and equipment and then overpaid the vendor with government credit cards.