Federal authorities indicted a former U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employee in Utah for allegedly disregarding mail-in ballots during his shift. Damon Matai Seei, 34, from Payson, Utah, faced charges from a federal grand jury on September 16 related to unlawfully secreting, destroying, and delaying mail. He was apprehended Tuesday and appeared in federal court in Salt Lake City.

Prosecutors state that Seei was responsible for delivering mail to over 300 individuals in Eagle Mountain, Utah, on June 3, prior to the state’s primary election on June 23. The mail included advertisements as well as hundreds of ballots distinctly marked for mail-in voting.

Department of Justice officials revealed that Seei separated and discarded the ballots along with other mail shortly after starting his shift, within approximately ninety minutes. This led several voters to report to the Utah County Clerk about missing their ballots. The U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah, Melissa Holyoak, noted an unusually low voter turnout in the affected area based on county database checks.

The investigation is ongoing, and federal officials aim to determine whether voters received replacement ballots or were able to participate in the election. Seei stated to investigators that he did not act with political motives, as per DOJ comments.

Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter emphasized the importance of ballot integrity, noting that discarding ballots jeopardizes election credibility, a non-partisan concern. The joint investigation involved the USPS Office of Inspector General and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Seei is scheduled for another court appearance on November 30.

Brittany Miller, a Fox News Digital breaking news writer, authored the article. She previously reported for the Independent and graduated from Syracuse University in 2023.