{
  "id": 9253270,
  "title": "US Justice Department charges Utah postal worker with dumping mail ballots in trash during primary",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/us-justice-department-charges-utah-postal-worker-with-dumping-mail-9253270",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-23T03:12:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/world/20260923/us-justice-department-charges-utah-postal-worker-with-dumping-mail-ballots-in-trash-during-primary"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The U.S. Justice Department has charged a Utah postal worker with discarding over 300 mail ballots intended for voters in the state's June primary election, according to an announcement on Tuesday. Damon Matai Seei, a 34-year-old postal carrier from Payson, Utah, appeared in federal court in Salt Lake City and pleaded not guilty to the felony charge of destruction or delay of mail. If found guilty, he could face up to five years in federal prison.\n\nSeei was delivering mail in Eagle Mountain, a conservative suburb of Provo, when he allegedly stuffed the ballots and other mail into a dumpster at a church parking lot shortly after starting his shift on the day of the primary election. Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter stated that authorities asked Seei about his motives, and he admitted to having no political agenda. He claimed his actions were motivated by \"laziness,\" stating he wanted to \"lighten his workload.\"",
  "summary": "SALT LAKE CITY — A U.S. Postal Service letter carrier in Utah threw out more than 300 mail ballots that were being sent to voters for the state's June primary , the Justice Department said Tuesday. Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said during a news conference that Damon Matai Seei was arrested Tuesday and appeared in federal court in Salt Lake City to be arraigned. The 34-year-old…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Justice Department charges Utah postal worker for dumping mail ballots in trash during state primary",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/justice-department-charges-utah-postal-worker-for-dumping-mail",
        "published": "2026-09-22T21:26:51.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Hill",
        "title": "Justice Department indicts former postal worker for tossing out mail-in ballots in Utah",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/justice-department-indicts-former-postal-worker-for-tossing-out-mail",
        "published": "2026-09-22T22:43:53.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "DOJ charges Utah postal worker for allegedly dumping mail ballots in trash",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/doj-charges-utah-postal-worker-for-allegedly-dumping-mail-ballots-in",
        "published": "2026-09-22T23:50:40.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "US Justice Department charges Utah postal worker with dumping mail ballots in trash during primary",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/us-justice-department-charges-utah-postal-worker-with-dumping-mail",
        "published": "2026-09-23T02:42:04.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}