Someone has been stealing cash and lottery tickets that residents of a Hamburg senior citizens apartment complex put in the mail as gifts, and a postal carrier is under investigation in connection with the thefts.

Residents of Creek Bend Heights, a 130-unit complex on Buffalo Street, had mailed cash and

lottery tickets with cards to relatives for birthdays and other occasions.

But several residents discovered that someone had opened the cards and removed the cash or

the lottery tickets, sources familiar with the case said.

The postal carrier under investigation was briefly taken into custody last week by

investigators from the U.S. Postal Service inspector general's office and then released. He is

the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation, law enforcement officials told The Buffalo

News.

Julie Still, an employee of the company that runs the apartment complex, told The News she

is aware of at least six people who recently complained to the Postal Service about the

thefts.

Law enforcement sources said a postal carrier was opening up cards that he picked up from

Creek Bend Heights, taking out cash and lottery tickets, and then resealing the envelopes and

sending the cards to their destinations.

"I believe the conversations between family members went something like this — "Did

you win anything on the lottery tickets I sent you?' And the other person would say, "What

lottery tickets?' " Still said.

According to Still, the Postal Service inspector general's office was "very responsive" to

the complaints, setting up a sting operation last week.

Postal investigators questioned a postal carrier last week after determining that he had

opened up some cards that investigators sent as part of the sting operation, sources said.

The postal carrier was released after questioning and was told that he is under

investigation, law enforcement officials said. They declined to release the postal carrier's

name.

Still said the carrier had served Creek Bend Heights for at least 18 months,, delivering

mail to the apartment complex and also picking up mail there. But she was unaware of any

complaints until about a month ago.

Still emphasized that any problems with the mail occurred once the cards left the apartment

complex.

"There's been no problem with our procedures here," she said.

U.S. Attorney Kathleen M. Mehltretter declined to comment.

"No arrest has been made at this time," said Timothy Jones, a Buffalo investigator from the

postal inspector general's office. "It's an ongoing investigation. I can't have any other

comment at this time."