Linn County, IA Corruption Exposed Page

07/10/2023

04/10/2023

The harsh reality is that the Washington Post’s database contains records of every fatal shooting in the United States by a police officer in the line of duty since Jan.1, 2015.

During the study period 8,384 patients were treated for injuries caused during contact with law enforcement personnel. Most were male, the mean age was 32.7, and those injured were disproportionately Black. Nearly all patients were treated as outpatients, and those who were admitted to the hospital had a mean of length of stay of 6 days. Most patients were discharged home or to an acute or long-term care facility (83.7 percent). It is unclear if those discharged home or to a different medical facility were arrested, injured when no crime was committed, or injured when a crime was committed.

As of June 30, 2023, 52 federal, state, county, municipal, military, and campus officers have died in the line of duty, representing a 66% decrease compared to the 153 officers who died in the same time period in 2022.

Between 2013 and 2022, over 1,000 people have been killed by police in every year. Within this time period, the most people killed by police in the United States was in 2022, at 1,243 people. As of August 28, 2023 the U.S. police have already shot 639 people to death. In 2022, 1,096 people were shot to death by police in the United States.

Police violence is defined as any instance where a police officer’s use of force results in a civilian’s death, regardless of whether it is considered justified by the law. While many people killed by police in the U.S. were shot, other causes of death have included tasers, vehicles, and physical restraints or beatings. Despite increasing visibility surrounding police violence in recent years, police killings have continued to occur in the United States at a consistently high rate. In comparison to other countries, police in the U.S. have killed people at a rate three times higher than police in Canada.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/585159/people-shot-to-death-by-us-police-by-month/ 😡

As of August 28, the U.S.

04/10/2023

The primary objective of this YouTube channel is to showcase the interactions between members of law enforcement and the general public. Their main purpose is to enlighten viewers on what is really happening around the country with law enforcement through educational content.

Watch their videos here ➡ https://www.youtube.com/ ⬅

The primary objective of this channel is to showcase the dynamic interactions between members of law enforcement and the general public. Our main purpose is ...

14/09/2023

See how this Marion, IA cop gets caught driving a publicly funded vehicle without a front license plate. Which is against the law in Iowa.

If that were you or me, we'd get a ticket. 😡

The fact that these cops think they are above the law is infuriating!

https://www.youtube.com/live/JvcYk-NsqtE?si=kjLbgXkDlKlaU2jP

Redress your grievances.
Marion, Iowa Police
(319)-377-1511

Marion Iowa Police6315 US-151, Marion, IA 52302(319)-377-1511https://www.facebook.com/marionpolice/

14/09/2023

Watch how this tyrant police chief Mike Kitsmiller threatens a citizen for filming inside a police car. (Not knowing there was a K9 inside the vehicle.) Not that it makes a difference. You are legally allowed to film anywhere in public, including inside police cars. 🤦

Mike Kitsmiller (Chief Of Police) Marion Iowa Police 6315 US-151, Marion, IA 52302 (319)-377-1511

Mike Kitsmiller (Chief Of Police)Marion Iowa Police6315 US-151, Marion, IA 52302(319)-377-1511https://www.facebook.com/marionpolice/

01/09/2023

Watch the livestream of the corrupt Linn County, IA Courts trying to maliciously prosecute Afro Audits.

26/08/2023

Signal Security guard goes hands on at Des Moines City Hall.
https://youtu.be/2s1tj0WYuOE?si=T8C0efqeUGGpdvlH

Des Moines Iowa Police
(515) 283-4811

Des Moines City Hall
(515) 283-4500

Signal Security
(515) 612-8064

Des Moines City Hall 400 Robert D. Ray Dr, Des Moines, IA 50309515-283-4500https://www.facebook.com/DesMoinesGov/

26/08/2023

Complaint with the Iowa Public Information Board over a $800 charge for a bodycam video.

https://youtu.be/QGzLUMUpWtM?si=vO-eXnL_XQ1Di2Ij

Marion Iowa Police Department
Nicole Eales
6315 US-151, Marion, IA 52302
(319) 377-1511

Nicole Eales - Marion Iowa Police Department6315 US-151, Marion, IA 52302319-377-1511https://www.facebook.com/marionpolice/Brett Toresdahl502 E. 9th St 3rd f...

26/08/2023

Watch Linn County courts violate the law live on YouTube.

🙏No One Is More Hated Than He Who Speaks The Truth🙏 -Plato●ABOLISH QUALIFIED IMMUNITY●☆We As Citizens Have A Duty To Keep AllGovernment Officials Accountab...

26/08/2023

Please help with legal costs and bodycam videos.

https://www.youtube.com/live/3FYUygAvEEw?si=3MpSrDq4JOqQV5et

https://www.paypal.me/AfroManLive
https://cash.app/$AfroManLive
https://venmo.com/AfroManLive

🙏No One Is More Hated Than He Who Speaks The Truth🙏 -Plato●ABOLISH QUALIFIED IMMUNITY●☆We As Citizens Have A Duty To Keep AllGovernment Officials Accountab...

20/08/2023

If you aren't receiving the product or services that you pay for, then consumers have every right to file a complaint. If a business isn't providing the services that you paid for, then that is considered fraud! Which is illegal. (Be sure to save all email documents related to your complaints.)

Here's how to file a complaint about a company's products or services. https://www.usa.gov/company-product-service-complaints

Anyone continuing to have problems with a business should also be filing a complaint with a Better Business Bureau!! https://www.bbb.org/file-a-complaint

Protect yourself and others by reporting fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Report scams to the Federal Trade Commission online here---> https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/ #/ or by phone at 1-877-382-4357

Contact https://econsumer.gov/ if you are complaining about items you bought online from a business outside the U.S.

Also, report online scams, email hoaxes, or other internet-enabled crimes to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at: https://www.ic3.gov/Home/FileComplaint

Learn how to complain to a company about a product or service. Get further help from the government or a consumer group to resolve your complaint.

28/07/2023

The Mental Health Systems Act of 1980 (MHSA) was United States legislation signed by President Jimmy Carter which provided grants to community mental health centers.

But in 1981 President Ronald Reagan, made major efforts during his Governorship to reduce funding for mental institutions, he pushed a political effort through the U.S. Congress to repeal most of MHSA.The MHSA was considered landmark legislation in mental health care policy.

The closing of state psychiatric hospitals has just increased incarceration of people with mental illness. When a person has a mental-health crisis in America, it is almost always peace officers—not a therapist, social worker, or psychiatrist who responds to the 911 call. But most officers aren’t adequately trained to deal with mental-health emergencies. And while laws are intended to protect civil liberties, it makes it exceedingly difficult to hospitalize people against their will, it is remarkably easy to just arrest them.

As a result, policing and incarceration have effectively replaced emergency mental-health care. In most jails, the percentage of people with mental illness has continued to go up. Today, nearly half the people in U.S. jails and more than a third of those in U.S. prisons have been diagnosed with a mental illness, compared to about a fifth in the general population.

When the justice system steps into mental-health care, the results are often deadly. According to statistics, nearly one-quarter of fatal police shootings involve a person with mental illness. Once inside a jail or prison, the mental-health care a person receives generally ranges from inadequate to abusive.

I blame the deinstitutionalization movement that advocated the transfer of mentally disabled people from public or private institutions, such as psychiatric hospitals, back to their families or into the community for the emptying of state psychiatric hospitals that began in the 1950s. When the hospitals were shut down, patients were discharged with no place to get psychiatric care.

They ended up on the streets, eventually committing crimes that got them arrested. As a result, jails and prisons essentially became the new asylums.

A popular theory links the closing of state psychiatric hospitals to the increased incarceration of people with mental illness. But the reality is more complicated.

28/07/2023

13 Things Your Boss Can't Legally Do.

Laws protect employee rights in the workplace, and here are some things they prevent your employer from doing.

25/07/2023

The only reason anybody would still "back the blue" in 2023, is because they're either psychologically demented, they've been living under a rock, or are just downright naive and have no clue about what is really happening around them.

People need to wake up! The men & women in blue are no longer heroes that should be put up on some pedestal.

Just go watch a few of these bodycam videos shared on YouTube and see what is truly going on. That way you'll be better educated on what is really happening in this country!

24/07/2023

THEY NEED TO STOP TRYING TO CENSOR OUR FREEDOM OF SPEECH BEFORE THEY GET SUED!!! 😡

Cohen v. California, 403 U.S. 15 (1971), was a landmark decision of the US Supreme Court holding that the First Amendment prevented the conviction of Paul Robert Cohen for the crime of disturbing the peace by wearing a jacket displaying "F**k the Draft" in the public corridors of a California courthouse.

Paul Robert Cohen showed up in the Los Angeles County Courthouse wearing a jacket emblazoned with the words: “F**k the Draft.” Women and children were present in the courthouse, and the words were clearly visible on Cohen’s jacket.

The police arrested Cohen. He was later convicted of disturbing the peace and sentenced to 30 days imprisonment.

Cohen challenged his conviction on constitutional grounds. When the California Supreme Court refused to hear the case, Cohen sought review in the United States Supreme Court. The Court considered whether the conviction violated Cohen’s First Amendment rights.

The Court noted that Cohen’s jacket did not fit within any of the recognized exceptions to the Constitution’s protection of the freedom of expression. The jacket lacked any prurient or erotic elements, meaning it wasn’t obscene. Further, the jacket couldn’t be categorized as fighting words, because it wasn’t insulting to any individual or likely to provoke a violent reaction.

Lastly, the state’s interest in protecting public morals was insufficient to justify the arrest, because sensitive people were free to avert their eyes.

Ultimately, the Court struck down Cohen’s conviction, affirming the First Amendment’s protection of offensive expression.

The Court ultimately found that displaying a mere four-letter word was not sufficient justification for allowing states to restrict free speech. The ruling set a precedent used in future cases concerning the power of states to regulate free speech in order to maintain public civility.

Get the Trifold on DeleteLawz.com Get the E-book, Poster & the Mollen Commission on DeleteLawZ.com ALSO: You can get The Trifold And Official Delete Lawz Mer...

22/07/2023

The federal criminal statute that enforces Constitutional limits on conduct by law enforcement officers is 18 U.S.C. § 242. Section 242 provides in relevant part: "Whoever, under color of any law, …willfully subjects any person to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States shall be guilty of a crime."

You can read about law enforcement misconduct here-->

The federal criminal statute that enforces Constitutional limits on conduct by law enforcement officers is 18 U.S.C. § 242. Section 242 provides in relevant part:

19/07/2023

Marion Iowa Police illegally kidnapped a man without probably cause or an arrest warrant out of sheer retaliation for requesting public records at city hall.

Newly released body camera footage reveals how police officers in Marion, Iowa illegally detained a man without probably cause or an arrest warrant. David Sh...

19/07/2023

Trespassed Over Complaint Forms & FOIAs (Capital; Des Moines, IA)

(515) 283-4811 Des Moines PD25 E 1st St, Des Moines, IA 50309https://m.facebook.com/DMPolice/🌟 Sgt. Quinn 🌟 Original Video: https://youtu.be/CqfBsozzYVoThi...

19/07/2023

Linn County taxpayers were forced to pay a former deputy and his lawyers over half a million dollars to settle his assertions that fellow deputies belittled him for taking leave to help care for his newborn son.

Deputy asserted he faced harassment from co-workers due to him taking parental leave to care for a newborn son.

17/07/2023

Freedom of speech doesn’t give anyone the right to spread malicious lies about people, but civil lawsuits are fully capable of addressing the harms caused by defamation.

A slander lawsuit is a lawsuit you can file after someone defames you. Defamation occurs when someone makes a false statement of fact to a third party and causes you harm as a result. Defamation is a tort, which means it is a civil wrong, so anyone can file suit to obtain monetary damages from the person who committed it.

When someone makes a defamatory statement online, such as through a written post or video, it is considered libel, not slander. Still, the process of taking legal action against online libel is the same as suing for slander. Currently, courts treat online defamation the same way as traditional forms. A person can take legal action against someone who publishes defamatory material against him online, such as a disparaging Facebook post, Twitter updates, or YouTube video.

Experienced attorneys have extensive experience filing internet defamation lawsuits to hold online perpetrators liable for their actions, remove defamatory content, identify an anonymous poster, and put an end to online harassment and attacks. They have ways of tracking you down and pinpointing your exact location. So don't think that your anonymity online is safe from a lawsuit.

BTW, The lawsuit can be filed in the state of where the plaintiff residence or where their occupation is. (The place where a plaintiff lives, works, or owns a business.) A slander lawsuit is a lawsuit you can file after someone defames you. Defamation occurs when someone makes a false statement of fact to a third party and causes you harm as a result. Defamation is a tort, which means it is a civil wrong, so he can file suit to obtain monetary damages from the person who committed it. Financial losses are not the only significant damages a slander victim may incur. There is also non-monetary harm, including but not limited to: Mental anguish, Emotional distress, Public disgrace, Shame, Pain and suffering, Loss of enjoyment in life and Mental health problems (anxiety, depression, PTSD.)

A judge, jury, or insurer determines the value of non-monetary damages in a defamation suit.

In this defamation guide, learn How to File a Defamation Lawsuit, how to determine if you have a valid claim, and important pre-suit filing requirements.

16/07/2023

Go subscribe to this YouTube channel and watch how honorable and intelligent cops are, and then see how well they honor their oath.

Civil Rights Lawyer John H. Bryan's YouTube ChannelCurrent issues of constitutional law, including police misconduct, government corruption and criminal defe...

07/07/2023

Whether you are naive enough to blindly "back the blue" or absolutely loathe cops, watch this video about policing in America, the past, the present and the future.

Chille DeCastro is Colombian & Irish-German. His grandfather's side of the family fought in the Revolutionary War. Raised in Alaska, he moved to Los Angeles in 2000.

After Chief of Police Michael Moore did a no-knock raid of his home in 2001, he hired Robert Shapiro and beat the charges. Since then, he has studied the law and concluded that Terry v. Ohio is the linchpin of the police state and prison state.

In this video, Chille speaks about the United States' history and explains why we must overturn Terry v. Ohio. He explains in detail the devastating impact of Terry v. Ohio on all Americans' civil liberties, especially if you happen to be a black America. The ruling, and the laws stemming from it, effectively and unequivocally place greater value on the “safety” (in fact, greater value is placed not on the actual safety but on the “belief of a threat to” or “fear for” the safety) of members of law enforcement.

Police officers with a documented record of racial discrimination and/or allegations of serious misconduct including excessive use of force are protected by and afforded unreasonable liberty under this ruling. Terry v. Ohio precedents have resulted in the government-sanctioned murder of countless Americans.

Chille DeCastro (Delete Lawz on YouTube) has been described as an eminent constitutional expert who has made it his mission to overturn Terry v. Ohio and educate the public on our constitutional rights.

He also explains that up until 1964, the Supreme Court's primary function was to deny civil liberties to Black Americans. For the first time in history, its ability to do so was curtailed by the Civil Liberties Act. However, it did not take long for the Supreme Court to resume its most ardent objective: denying blacks equal rights and treatment. Because of this, SCOTUS ruled that "officers' safety" was more valuable than citizens' lives, specifically the lives of Black Americans.

 The codes for the Free poster and the free e-book expire at midnight tonightGo to DeleteLawZ dot co Poster code. OverturnterryvsohioEbook code: terryvs...

05/07/2023

THIS VIDEO EXPLAINS WHY THE AFRO AUDITS YOUTUBE CHANNEL WAS CREATED.

He had no intentions of being an auditor/cop watcher. It was started only because he needed video proof of all the corruption going on in Marion and in Linn County after the retaliation began due to his requesting an inspection be done on the Henderson house's unsafe living conditions.

This video is the start of and . Living in this Apt. and starting from 2017. If U mention anything about the conditions Y...

05/07/2023

To ensure that the public has confidence in the Sheriff's Office and their employees, they claim to have a process in place for adequate, fair, impartial, and expedient processing of all allegations of misconduct by Sheriff's Office employees. lol That's what they claim anyway...

In the event you wish to file a complaint, please utilize the online Personnel Complaint Form provided here--> https://www.linncountyiowa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/17870/LCSO-Personnel-Complaint-Form?bidId=

And then mail it to:
Linn County Sheriff's Office
Attn: Sheriff
310 2nd Avenue
SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404

The Personnel Complaint Form (PDF) can also be downloaded and emailed to the Linn County Sheriff at: [email protected]

Make sure that you keep a dated copy (for your own records) of any complaint filed.

***Remember, it's your legal right to file a complaint anonymously, if you wish. Please don't allow them to bully you into giving up your ID if you don't wish to give them that information. Your ID is NOT required when filing a complaint. Although, if you want to know what actions are being taken against the employee, they will need an email address to respond to.

04/07/2023

Statute of Limitations for Crimes in Iowa.

https://www.mccarthyhamrock.com/criminal-defense/iowa-criminal-process/statute-of-limitations/ #:~:text=The%20general%20statute%20of%20limitations,the%20commission%20of%20the%20crime.

This article by criminal defense attorneys in Des Moines, Iowa, explains the three-year and one-year statute of limitations for felony and misdemeanor crimes.

04/07/2023

Once a person becomes a police officer, it’s hard for them not to have a superiority complex. You take a 21-year-old male, you give him a uniform, a gun, pepper spray, a taser, and a nightstick and they think they have more power than the president. They can pull people over for no reason, arrest people, and ruin their lives forever. No banker can do that. No doctor can do it. We are giving cops way too much power. Without the right training, their false sense of superiority can easily go right to their heads.

The motto, "To Protect and Serve," was first coined by the Los Angeles Police Department in the 1950s, and has been widely copied by police departments everywhere. But what, exactly, is a police officer's legal obligation to protect people? Must they risk their lives in dangerous situations like the one in Uvalde? The answer is no!!

In the 1981 case Warren v. District of Columbia, the D.C. Court of Appeals held that police have a general "public duty," but that "no specific legal duty exists" unless there is a special relationship between an officer and an individual, such as a person in custody. Generally, the police have no duty to protect you! The Supreme Court says police are only required to protect the government. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the government has only a duty to protect persons who are “in custody.” Most of the public think the thin blue line will stand faithfully between private citizens and evildoers. Practically speaking, it makes little sense to disarm the innocent victims while the criminals are armed. It is especially silly to disarm the victims when too often the police are simply unable to protect them.

We Gen-Xrs were trained to adore police, those who will always come to our aid. Alas, we were wrong. We soon learned that one set of rules applies to politicians and their agencies and the other to you and me. (See Deshaney v. Winnebago County.) And until the government holds itself to the same standards it holds taxpayers to, don’t expect the police to intervene during your moment of crisis. Police carry guns to defend themselves, not us.

NO! Police have zero duty to protect you from rioters, robbers, or criminals. You cannot sue the police for refusing to send help or make an arrest. You must defend yourself.

04/07/2023

Here are 60 Patriotic 4th of July Trivia Questions to Test Your Red, White and Blue IQ.

We celebrate America on July 4, but there are facts about this day that go undiscussed. Here's some 4th of July trivia people may not know.

04/07/2023

Wishing everyone a safe and blessed 4th of July!

04/07/2023

Can the police lie to me?

The police can't lie in every instance but most of the time it's completely legal for them to lie so it's important to know the rules.

02/07/2023

Tyrant Chief of Police Illegally Trespasses Citizen From City Hall.

Incident Location:
City Hall Marion, Iowa
Marion Police Department
(319) 377-1511

👊AML👊Incident Location: City Hall Marion IowaMarion Police Department 319-377-1511☆We As Citizens Have A Duty To Keep AllGovernment Officials Accountable☆¿...

02/07/2023

BEWARE of rental listing scams!

Moving to a new city? Planning a vacation? As you consider issues like size, cost, and location of the rental, also consider this: that rental listing could be a scam.

02/07/2023

Every citizen, law enforcement officer, and other government employee really needs to follow this guy's YouTube channel.

Jose DeCastro, who is known by the name Chile DeCastro, is the creator of the Delete Lawz YouTube channel. He is a Columbian YouTube content creator and constitutional scholar. Chile travels the country and works to bring awareness to laws that infringe on your constitutional rights and those that should be deleted.

Since these rights are at the core of our democracy, the laws that uphold those rights allow certain actions to be taken when they are violated. Knowing your rights can help you identify situations of discrimination, abuse of power, and provide guidance on how to take certain actions.

When we overturn Terry v. Ohio there will be an immediate and overwhelming change that impacts all Americans, at the street level. You should always use THE ...

02/07/2023

1 Hour For Complaint Forms & Still Refuse To ID.(Marion IA Police Department)

👊AML👊☆We As Citizens Have A Duty To Keep AllGovernment Officials Accountable☆¿The Police Are The Most ConspicuousForm of Government In America¿●End Police ...

02/07/2023

Newly released body camera footage reveals how police officers in Marion, Iowa illegally detained a man without probably cause or an arrest warrant.

Newly released body camera footage reveals how police officers in Marion, Iowa illegally detained a man without probably cause or an arrest warrant. David Sh...

02/07/2023

Hug an AR owner open carry demonstration in Iowa. Addressing violence against kids.

CashApp me @ $ RPMMovement This fi****ms open carry demonstration took a surprising turn when I stumbled upon a sidewalk chalk message that referenced “The R...

19/06/2023

Many Americans are celebrating Juneteenth, marking the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free.

Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Deriving its name from combining June and nineteenth, it is celebrated on the anniversary of the order by Major General Gordon Granger proclaiming freedom for enslaved people in Texas on June 19, 1865 (two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued).

Originating in Galveston, Texas Juneteenth has since been observed annually in various parts of the United States. The day was first recognized as a federal holiday in 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law.

12/06/2023

The police can legally lie to you during an interrogation and young people are especially vulnerable to their tactics. Please make sure that your children are knowledgeable of their rights and what shady tactics law enforcement can use to get them to talk to the police.

Most citizens know that they can be charged with a misdemeanor for lying to a police officer. They may even be charged with perjury if they lie under oath during official proceedings. But did you know that the police can lie to citizens and potential suspects in certain circumstances? Yes, it's true. The police are allowed to tell people that they have already collected evidence against them, and exaggerate how strong the evidence is. The police are also allowed to lie and tell suspects that they have people who witnessed them committing a crime. Police officers can also fib and say they can quickly obtain a warrant, so you might as well let them in to conduct a search. While it doesn’t take long to get a search warrant, this lie is usually made when the police know they don’t have solid enough evidence to obtain one.

The police may even try to persuade you to cooperate by promising a lighter sentence. However, the police have no final say in sentencing. One of the main goals that the police have is to get the suspect to admit to a crime, or divulge information that will incriminate them. Therefore, they are able to lie in order to get a confession or other useful information out of someone.

Unfortunately, innocent individuals hear these false statements and may begin to panic, thinking they are about to be convicted of a crime they did not commit. When faced with this situation, some individuals choose to confess to crimes even when they are completely innocent.

Therefore, it’s crucial that you firmly state you are invoking your right to remain silent and that you want to have an attorney present. Even if you are 100% innocent, you still NEVER want to speak to the police without legal counsel.

When people are brought in for questioning by police, they are expected to tell the truth. Most people would assume that goes both ways — that the police must also be truthful during interrogations, but the reality is that the police can lie to you during an interrogation, and it is not uncommon f...

09/06/2023

Gordon Grabau, a former volunteer Linn County Reserve Deputy Sheriff from Marion, pleaded guilty to receiving over 160,000 child pornographic files.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

09/06/2023

A Marion man who forged and counterfeited postage and committed export violations was convicted following a one-day trial that occurred in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Bradley Jon Matheny, age 44, from Marion, Iowa, was convicted of seven counts of postage meter stamp forgery and counterfeiting and three counts of export violations. The verdict was returned after a day-long bench trial.

The evidence at trial showed that Matheny operated an eBay business known as “Mathenys” from his residence in Marion. Through “Mathenys,” Matheny sold retail goods to individuals all over the United States and the globe. Matheny used the United States Postal Service (USPS) to ship these goods to his customers. Matheny shipped over 28,000 packages with the USPS. Postage posed a significant financial cost to Matheny’s business. To reduce his costs, and increase his profit, Matheny possessed and used forged and counterfeited postage meter stamps on many of the packages he sent to his customers.

USPS personnel at the Cedar Rapids Main Post Office became suspicious of Matheny’s mailing practices after he kept dropping off his packages at the post office late in the evening at the dock. USPS eventually alerted federal law enforcement, specifically the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), that Matheny might be falsifying postage in connection with his eBay business. A review of Matheny’s packages revealed that most of Matheny’s packages had either insufficient postage or a forged or counterfeited postage meter stamp. For example, some postage was purchased at the 3-ounce rate, but the “3” was altered into an “8.” Similar reviews yielded similar results, and one expert testified that Matheny had shorted the USPS more than $250,000.

Law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at Matheny’s residence, a single-family house in Marion. During the search, the USPIS seized a large number of unusual paper clippings of partial Priority Mail and First Class postage meter stamps as well as a handwritten list of crossed-out Priority Mail tracking numbers. Law enforcement also imaged Matheny’s electronic devices and, on his computer, found a number of unaltered electronic versions of the forged postage meter stamps in question. Later, working with representatives of eBay, law enforcement learned that Matheny was taking advantage of vulnerabilities in the USPS’s electronic postage payment systems to receive Priority Mail treatment for his packages even though he had only paid the First Class rate.

Some of Matheny’s customers lived overseas, including in Israel and South Africa. The USPS required Matheny to make truthful declarations on these exports. Specifically, Matheny was required to truthfully declare whether the package contained merchandise or a gift and also the value of the contents of the package. Matheny falsely certified on these forms that his packages contained a “gift” that was worth a nominal sum such as “$1.90,” when in truth Matheny knew the contents of his packages were not gifts and worth more than what he listed on the forms. This allowed Matheny’s packages to clear foreign customs more rapidly and possibly avoid foreign customs taxes.