Pittsburgh postmaster charged with threatening workers

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The Pittsburgh postmaster was arrested Tuesday and charged with threatening to kill postal workers, and illegally opening packages according to five criminal complaints filed in a Pittsburgh court.

A detective with the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office alleged in the court documents that Postmaster Daniel Davis, 50, of Cannonsburg, Pa., regularly intercepted packages from several Pittsburgh area mail facilities, opened them and removed the contents, and also told several workers that he would kill them if they reported him to authorities.

Davis instructed several employees to watch out for packages coming from Texas, California, Arizona and Washington, saying the packages may contain illegal drugs.
Donna Clay a customer service supervisor alleged that Davis instructed her in September to watch for packages from those states and "told her 'I'm a [expletive]. The last person who crossed me is no longer here,'" investigators allege.

Clay alleged Davis told her, after learning that she had been reporting his activities "Do you remember what I told you? You better not say anything I will kill you," detectives wrote in court documents.

Transportation supervisor Daniel Mayo investigators say, told them he saw Davis "remove express packages" from the floor area and take them "to a back office where he would examine the contents, and 'Google' the addresses of the sender and receiver."

Mayo said Davis "made it seem like he was doing the right thing by taking drugs off the street." Unsure whether Davis was authorized to open the packages he remained silent about his alleged activity, court documents allege.

Detectives wrote in an affidavit "The postmaster's official duties do not include having contact with customer's packages or the handling of their contents."
Investigators allege in December Davis called Mayo on his cell phone saying, "I'm the most ruthless [expletive] you'll ever meet. Don't cross me." Mayo said he "felt threatened because he witnesses [Davis] open the large box of drugs," referring to a package he saw Davis open earlier that day.

Mayo who has been a postal worker for two years reported Davis' alleged phone call to his supervisor and requested a transfer saying "I didn't sign up for this." Mayo added, he "did not know how powerful [Davis] really was," court documents allege.
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Postal supervisor Josh Francis alleged he witnessed Davis "opening packages on a weekly basis."

Court documents allege, Francis witnessed Davis open a package in November that contained marijuana, cocaine and heroin hidden in coffee bags. Francis alleged Davis referred to the package as 'the mother load."

After Davis became aware that postal inspectors were investigating allegations that he was opening packages he told Clay "You are going to be questioned about what you know, you better not tell," investigators allege.

Davis who transferred to Pittsburgh from the Toledo, Ohio post office last February was appointed as Postmaster on August 23, 2014.

Davis faces multiple charges of intimidation of witnesses, criminal coercion and official oppression. He was released without bail late Tuesday and faces a September 30 preliminary hearing.

Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala, Jr., said he does not have jurisdiction over any potential mail tampering violations. Federal officials have declined to comment on the status of any possible criminal charges, or what happened to some of the drugs allegedly removed from packages.