--- description: A Brooklyn mailman has been accused of hoarding 40,000 pieces of mail, according to a federal complaint. title: Brooklyn Mailman Hoarded 40,000 Letters image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3bdef382b1771bff/6986a594e53aba4e1f4d4a2c/168420246.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # NYC Mailman Allegedly Kept 40,000 Letters Instead of Delivering Them  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Sep 26, 2014 2:42 PM CUT  The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) logo is seen on the side of a delivery truck in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, May 9, 2013. The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) logo is seen on the side of a delivery truck in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, May 9, 2013.Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Sep 26, 2014 2:42 PM CUT A Brooklyn mailman has been accused of hoarding 40,000 pieces of mail at home, in his car and in has locker, according to a federal complaint. The mail carrier, 67-year-old Joseph Brucato, was arrested this week after his supervisor noticed undelivered mail in Brucato’s car. A police official said that when confronted, Brucato said he didn’t deliver mail on some days for “personal reasons.” The mail carrier’s lawyer said Brucato suffered from depression. Brucato was arraigned Wednesday and subsequently released. The United States Postal Service has suspended him without pay. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3432564/complaint-hoard-letters/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3432564/complaint-hoard-letters/"},"headline":"NYC Mailman Allegedly Kept 40,000 Letters Instead of Delivering Them","datePublished":"2014-09-26T14:42:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:13:26.676Z","description":"No word on whether he was grooving to all our love letters","url":"https://time.com/3432564/complaint-hoard-letters/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Crime","U.S.","Bizarre","USPS","Mail"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3bdef382b1771bff/6986a594e53aba4e1f4d4a2c/168420246.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3bdef382b1771bff/6986a594e53aba4e1f4d4a2c/168420246.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"US Postal Service Mail Delivery Ahead Of Second-Quarter Results","caption":"US Postal Service Mail Delivery Ahead Of Second-Quarter Results","creditText":"Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3432564/complaint-hoard-letters/","name":"NYC Mailman Allegedly Kept 40,000 Letters Instead of Delivering Them"}}]}] ```