A former U.S. Postal Service letter carrier in Utah is accused of throwing out more than 300 mail ballots that were being sent to voters for the state’s primary three months ago.
According to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Damon Matai Seei, 34, of Payson, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Sept. 16. He was arrested and appeared for his arraignment on Tuesday.
Seei pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of destruction or delay of mail, according to The Associated Press. If convicted, he could face up to five years in federal prison.
Officials said Seei’s postal route was in Eagle Mountain, KUTV reported.
According to court documents, on June 3, 2026, Seei was working for the U.S. Post Office as a letter carrier.
Among the pieces of mail he was to deliver were advertisements and hundreds of mail-in ballots that were sent to Eagle Mountain residents to allow them to vote in a June 23, 2026, primary election, the news release stated.
Seei allegedly threw the ballots away, placing them in a dumpster located in a church parking lot.
According to the indictment, Seei, who said he was not a ‘very political person," claimed he did not intend to disrupt any political process by dumping the ballots.
He added that he simply made a “poor decision” out of “frustration” and “laziness, the indictment stated
Most voters in Utah cast ballots by mail or deposit them in drop boxes, the AP reported.
“When American voters lawfully cast their vote, they should feel confident that it is counted,” Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said in a statement. “Allegedly throwing away hundreds of ballots is a serious federal crime that undermines the integrity of our elections. Ballot integrity is not a partisan issue.”
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