OAKLAND — A Bay Area man has been sentenced to supervised release for stealing mail when he worked as a postal worker in the East Bay, according to court records.

Timothy Evans pleaded guilty to mail theft by an employee, and in August he was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers to a three-year supervised release term. He was a mail carrier from 2019 to 2023, when he was caught on surveillance cameras drinking on the job and rifling through packages, court records show.

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A prosecution sentencing memo says the stolen mail included cash and checks, and adds that “in addition to stealing and destroying mail on many occasions, Evans was observed drinking alcohol and sleeping in his postal truck while on duty.”

Evans’ lawyer, Assistant Federal Public Defender Joyce Leavitt, said in court filings that the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything for Evans, who found himself in a stressful job at an understaffed office.

“Mr. Evans also was distressed by financial pressures at the time, and turned to alcohol and other maladaptive coping strategies in an attempt to handle the pressures and stressors in his life. These coping strategies directly contributed to his commission of the offense,” Leavitt said, adding that Evans has since sought out rehabilitation.