A postal worker from Tracy was sentenced today to two years in prison for stealing almost half a million dollars worth of money orders, authorities said.

Manuel A. Moreno, 46, pleaded guilty in April to one count of theft of a money order.

In entering the plea, Moreno admitted issuing himself money orders between October 2003 and July 2005 without paying their full face value.

Moreno has no prior criminal history and assisted in the investigation by highlighting loopholes in the U.S. Postal Service’s accounting system and auditing procedures, Assistant U.S. Attorney Shashi Kewalramani wrote in court documents.

This information allowed the agency to modify the accounting and audit procedures such that thefts on the order of what the defendant was able to carry out may be averted in the future. (source: court documents)

But Moreno has a gambling problem and needs treatment, authorities said. Moreno admitted to using money for gambling and personal expenses, federal prosecutors said.

source: San Francisco Chronicle or Tri-Valley Herald

According to court records in addition to the 24 month sentence, Moreno was sentenced to 3 years supervised release; $100 special assessment and $410,959.26 restitution.