The Department of Justice announced this week that it had indicted a St. Louis mail carrier for allegedly dumping at least 30,000 pieces of mail over a period of two years.

Armond Paige pleaded not guilty on Tuesday after authorities accused him of dumping mail in a series of vacant lots. He faces up to five years in prison and/or a fine of $250,000 if convicted.

The charges come as Missouri faces litigation over its congressional maps, setting up potentially pivotal battles for control of Congress in November.

Mail-in ballots have faced considerable scrutiny in recent years over fraud concerns. The DOJ did not detail the substance of the mail Paige allegedly discarded.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.