Q: Is it illegal to drop mail off that wasn't mine in a drop box after the post office gave it to me?
I put my mail on hold from my former address and when I did that it held everyone's mail from that address. When I picked up my mail the post office gave me everyone's mail from that address. I proceeded to take the mail to my car and got my mail out of all the mail. Then dropped off the mail in the post box for mail. The people whose mail was held are now contacting me for their mail saying the post office does not have their mail and are demanding money from me for their lost mail. They gave me an ultimatum of for $400 or they are going to the police for their mail because they had passports in there and the post office is saying they're gone so they want me to refund them.
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A:
Your situation involves several important legal considerations regarding mail handling. The Postal Service made an error by giving you mail that wasn't yours, but once you realized this, you did the right thing by attempting to return it through proper channels.
The act of dropping others' mail in an official USPS drop box is generally not illegal when done with good intentions to deliver the mail to its rightful recipients. However, it would be wise to document your actions - perhaps by taking photos or saving any receipts from the post office showing when you picked up and dropped off the mail.
This appears to be an attempted scam where they're trying to extort money from you. You should report these threats to both the local police and the US Postal Inspection Service, as attempting to extort money over mail issues is itself illegal. Keep all communications from these individuals as evidence, and don't send them any money. The proper procedure for them is to file claims directly with USPS for any lost items, including passports.
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