FREMONT CENTER — A former employee of the Fremont Center Post Office was arrested in March after federal investigators alleged that he fraudulently issued 126 postal money orders totaling nearly $70,000.
Laird Klein, 59, was arrested March 3 and charged by criminal complaint with theft of government funds under 18 U.S.C. § 641, according to records filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The complaint alleges that Klein worked at the Fremont Center Post Office from approximately May 2025 through January 2026 and used his Postal Service employee account to issue 126 money orders totaling $69,840.78 without collecting corresponding payments for the Postal Service.
Investigators allege that Klein cashed some of the money orders himself at the Monticello Post Office, deposited others into a TD Bank account in his name and issued additional money orders to other individuals.
According to the complaint, investigators reviewed Postal Service transaction records, bank records and surveillance footage. The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General also installed a covert camera inside the Fremont Center Post Office in November 2025, which allegedly recorded Klein printing money orders when no customer was present.
Jonathan Jimenez, deputy special agent in charge of the Postal Service OIG, confirmed that the agency is investigating the matter but declined to provide further information.
“At this time, the USPS OIG has an ongoing investigation,” Jimenez said.
Klein appeared before a federal magistrate judge following his arrest and was released on a $100,000 unsecured bond. Court records show that the case remains pending and that proceedings have been continued through July 22.
Benjamin Gold, Klein’s attorney, declined to comment on the case. The allegations against Klein have not been proven in court.
The Postal Service OIG investigates fraud, waste and misconduct involving Postal Service programs, operations and employees. According to the agency, it operates independently within the Postal Service under the general supervision of the Board of Governors.
The Fremont Center Post Office closed in February, with its operations consolidated with the Obernburg Post Office. It remains unclear whether the closure was connected to the investigation.
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