A former Fresno County mail carrier plead not guilty Monday to federal charges accusing him of keeping thousands of pieces of mail that were supposed to be delivered to customers.
A federal grand jury indicted 53-year-old Ronald Juckno on two counts of unlawful detention or delay of the mail, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The case was unsealed Monday, and Juckno entered a not guilty plea during an afternoon appearance in federal court before being released.
Prosecutors allege Juckno possessed more than 8,500 pieces of mail between August and September 2024. According to the indictment, one count involves at least 8,500 pieces of mail.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said the undelivered mail included California Employment Development Department correspondence, financial records, insurance records, medical correspondence, tax records and utility bills.
"It's important to be able to trust that when you put something in the mail, it's actually going to get where it's intended, and when you have something of this magnitude, that's why it becomes a criminal issue," said Fresno criminal defense attorney Kevin Little, who is not involved in the case.
Little said the allegations raise concerns for people who may have been waiting on important documents.
"The nightmare scenario is if somebody was waiting for something in the mail that they needed for their economic survival or a test result that they needed to determine, you know, whether or not they had some serious illness," Little said. "So it's a situation that needs to be taken seriously, of course."
According to court documents obtained by Action News, the U.S. Postal Service placed Juckno on leave after the mail was discovered and he later resigned from his position.
The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General began the investigation in 2024 before referring it to federal prosecutors. Juckno was arrested Sept. 11.
As the case moves forward, Little said any potential punishment would depend heavily on the specific facts and Juckno's background.
"It's really difficult to tell, because it depends so much on the specifics, both him individually and of the crime," Little said. "But let's say it's the most horrendous case. It doesn't sound like this person had a record. When I crunched some numbers, it came out to about three years, three and a half years. I think the actual sentence would probably be significantly lower than that," he added.
Juckno is scheduled to return to federal court on Nov. 17.
If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Action News has reached out to the U.S. Postal Service seeking information about which mail routes Juckno serviced and what happened to the mail allegedly found in his possession, but has not yet received a response.
For news updates, follow Grant Johnson on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.