NJ Resident Convicted on Bribery and Drug Conspiracy Charges Involving U.S. Postal Service

A former mail carrier from Union, New Jersey, has been found guilty of accepting bribes and participating in a drug distribution scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

UNION, NJ - Emerson Pavilus, 49, of Union, was convicted on August 15, 2024, on charges of bribery, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. A jury delivered the verdict after a trial presided over by U.S. Circuit Court Judge Stephanos Bibas, sitting by designation in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Pavilus, a mail carrier in Flanders, New Jersey, was implicated in a scheme that spanned from 2015 to 2020. During this period, he accepted cash payments in return for helping individuals intercept packages containing illegal narcotics and other illicit items. He provided addresses of vacant homes on his mail route to his co-conspirators, who used these addresses to receive the illegal shipments. Pavilus would then intercept these packages and deliver them to his associates in exchange for bribes.

The charges against Pavilus carry severe penalties. The bribery charge alone could result in up to 15 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or more, depending on the financial impact of the offense. The conspiracy to defraud the United States and the narcotics charges each carry potential sentences of up to five years in prison and similar fines.

U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger credited the successful investigation to the collaborative efforts of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, the USPS Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Irvington Police Department. The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jordann R. Conaboy and Mark J. McCarren.