A postman's crippling gambling addiction spiralled into purchases of gold jewellery, phones and even online gaming gift cards with stolen bank cards.
Mauro Paul Coluzzi's family members broke down in court as he was jailed until December 2027 for leading two criminal syndicates funded with pilfered plastic.
The disgraced postie, 57, stole dozens of cards out of secure mail on his beat in Sydney's eastern suburbs.
Over 15 months, Coluzzi and two co-conspirators defrauded customers and their banks of more than $130,000.
The postie personally obtained nearly $30,000 in cash and goods from the stolen cards, including two 24-carat gold bracelets bought a mere 12 hours before his arrest.
Coluzzi reduced community confidence in the reliability of the postal service and prison time was a must, Judge Jillian Kiely found.
"(Cards) were stolen from the post which was a significant breach of trust ... to safely deliver these items to customers," she said in Sydney's Sutherland Local Court on Thursday.
An unblemished postal worker since 2007, Coluzzi began looking for new ways to fund a debilitating gambling addiction in early 2024, Judge Kiely said.
"F***, I hope they all work, I need money bro," Coluzzi told one of his co-offenders.
"I'm f***ed bro, I gotta pay my credit card."
The agreed facts of the case state that, by the end of the scheme, Coluzzi was worried about changes to Australia Post procedures that would stop him from accessing new cards.
"It's only gonna be parcels bro, and I can't f***ing touch parcels," he said to an unnamed person.
Australia Post has zero tolerance for illegal activity in its network, a spokeswoman told AAP.
"We worked very closely with NSW Police throughout their investigation and continually review systems and processes to strengthen the security of our operations."
Coluzzi is estimated to have gambled millions of dollars throughout his life and the excessive losses put repeated strain on his marriage, Judge Kiely said.
For 15 months, the postie and his cronies systematically stole dozens of cards from secure mail and obtained more than $100,000 in cash and fraudulent purchases.
Perfume, a night out in Darling Harbour, scented candles and more than a dozen phones and tablets were bought by the three men with the stolen cards.
Thousands of cigarettes, phone recharge cards, groceries and Roblox gift cards was also in the haul.
Coluzzi's barrister Troy Edwards SC argued a community sentence would be an appropriate punishment for the 57-year-old.
But Judge Kiely said the offending was too serious for any sentence but jail.
As Coluzzi was led away by sheriff's officers from the court, a member of his family collapsed and had to be assisted from the court.
He will be eligible for parole in December 2027.
National Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858
