PAYSON, Utah, Sept. 22 (Our Utah Times) — A federal grand jury has indicted Damon Matai Seei, a former U.S. Postal Service letter carrier from Payson, Utah, on one count of unlawfully secreting, destroying and delaying mail, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.
The indictment alleges that Seei discarded mail that he had been assigned to deliver to at least 300 residents of Eagle Mountain. The mail included advertisements and mail-in ballots intended for registered voters in Utah’s June 23, 2026, primary election.
Seei, 34, was indicted Sept. 16. The indictment was unsealed Sept. 22, when he was arrested and appeared for arraignment at the Orrin G. Hatch U.S. Courthouse in Salt Lake City. His next court appearance was scheduled for Nov. 30, according to federal prosecutors.
The allegations have not been proven in court. Seei is presumed innocent unless prosecutors prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt.
What prosecutors allege
According to the indictment as summarized by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Seei was working as a letter carrier on June 3 and was entrusted with mail for Eagle Mountain residents. Prosecutors allege that he placed some of that mail, including about 300 ballots, in a dumpster at a church parking lot instead of delivering it.
The charge covers the alleged withholding, destruction and delay of mail. The materials released by federal prosecutors do not identify a separate election-related charge.
The government has not established what happened to each ballot after it was discarded, whether any affected voters cast ballots by another method or whether replacement ballots were issued. The prosecutors’ release also does not state the exact number of ballots beyond describing the total as approximately 300.
Why the case is federal
Mail handled by the Postal Service falls under federal law. The case is being prosecuted in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah by Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd C. Bouton.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
An indictment is a formal accusation issued by a grand jury. It means prosecutors presented enough evidence for the grand jury to authorize charges, but it is not a finding that the defendant committed the offense.
What happens next
The case will proceed through the federal court system, where prosecutors must prove the charge and the defense may challenge the government’s evidence. The public information released by prosecutors does not identify Seei’s defense attorney, the assigned judge or the federal case number.
The indictment follows the June 3 delivery assignment and comes before the Nov. 30 scheduled court appearance. Until the case is resolved, the allegations remain claims in a criminal proceeding rather than established facts.
