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Fraud case over, postmaster returns to work
By JACKIE RIPLEY
© St. Petersburg Times, ODESSA -- Terry Franklin, acquitted of fraud charges last year by a federal jury in Tampa, has also been cleared of wrongdoing by a Postal Service administrative board and is back at work. "It's been a long wait," said Franklin, who returned Sept. 17 to his job as postmaster at the Odessa branch. Franklin, who said he was welcomed back with "lots of smiles" from fellow postal workers, spent several weeks before his return learning about the various changes in postal procedures that occurred during his absence. "It's a little difficult because there are some changes to adjust to," Franklin said. Nevertheless, "I love my job. I love the Postal Service." Franklin, a U.S. Postal Service employee for 27 years -- including seven as postmaster for the Odessa branch on Tarpon Springs Road -- was placed on administrative leave two years ago while postal inspectors investigated claims that he mishandled public money. Then he was indicted in Tampa federal court on charges of fraud and embezzlement. Last year, jurors found Franklin innocent of fraudulent record keeping and failing to account for public money. However, he was not automatically returned to his $60,000-a-year job. That came later. An administrative judge ruled that Franklin should be reinstated and receive back pay in a hearing earlier this year before the Merit Systems Protection Board, an administrative review board. "Our confidence never wavered," Franklin said. "Right is right. Somebody had to come up with the truth." Federal prosecutors had accused Franklin of intending to deceive the Postal Service by generating false financial records and by failing to account for money he collected at the Odessa post office. "There was just so much at stake," said Marcelino Huerta, Franklin's attorney. "He wouldn't accept a plea. He wouldn't be bullied. He believed that he would prevail." Postal officials in Tampa could not be reached for comment. "I'm just glad to get back," Franklin said. "I have no harsh words for the postal inspectors. They have jobs to do. I just hope they learn from their mistakes." - Jackie Ripley can be reached at (813) 226-3468.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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From the Times |
