July 15, 2022

USA: Chief Data Officer For U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission In Mail-In Ballot Unit Arrested In Child Sex Sting Operation. He Was Appointed In Feb 2022. USPS Terminated After Being Caught.

The National Pulse
written by Natalie Winters
Wednesday July 13, 2022

A high-level U.S. Postal Service official appointed under President Joe Biden was caught during a child sex sting, admitting “I’m a pedophile” on camera.

Russell Rappel-Schmid, the Chief Data Officer for the U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), was caught in San Diego, California attempting to meet a 14-year-old boy for sex.

The PRC is responsible for overseeing the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) – which deals with mail-in ballots during election season – and Rappel-Schmid was tasked with running the commission’s data management and compliance with the OPEN Government Data Act.

While federal authorities have not yet confirmed the man in the video is Rappel-Schmid, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department announced that Rappel-Schmid was released from the city’s Central Jail early Tuesday morning after being arrested on Monday. His felony arraignment is set for next Monday.

Rappel-Schmid was reportedly in San Diego for a business conference when he allegedly tried to meet what he thought was a 14-year-old boy for sex. The People vs Predators group filmed the encounter, and Rappel-Schmid can be seen admitting “I’m a pedophile.”

In response to the video and criminal charges, the PRC terminated Rappel-Schmid from his position.
“The Postal Regulatory Commission has become aware of the recent arrest of one of our employees. Upon becoming aware of this information, the Commission has terminated this employee effective immediately. The Commission is shocked and horrified at these serious allegations and maintains a steadfast commitment to promptly deal with any claims of employee misconduct.”
Rappel-Schmid’s profile has been removed from the agency’s website.

He joined the oversight body under President Joe Biden in May and previously served as the State of Alaska’s first chief data officer. Rappel-Schmid also worked at the USPS Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG) on the data analytics team and as an audit manager.
The San Diego Union Tribune
written by Alex Riggins
Wednesday July 13, 2022

SAN DIEGO — Officials from the federal agency that oversees the U.S. Postal Service have fired their chief data officer after he was arrested Monday in San Diego on suspicion of attempting to meet an underage boy for sex. Russell Rappel-Schmid, 52, was hired earlier this year as the first chief data officer of the Postal Regulatory Commission. He was in San Diego for a conference when San Diego Harbor Police Department officers arrested him, according to arrest records and his former employer.

Rappel-Schmid’s arrest — first reported locally by 10News on Tuesday — appeared to be the result of a sting carried out by the vigilante citizen group known as “People v. Preds.”

Members of the group, which touts itself as catching “online (predators) who prey on children,” pose as young teens on dating sites and agree to meet with adults they suspect are trying to lure them for sex. The group, and others like it, record the moments they confront those who show up at the agreed upon meeting place and post the videos on social media — a twist on Dateline NBC’s To Catch a Predator series.

A video posted online by People v. Preds accuses Rappel-Schmid of trying to meet a 14-year-old boy for sex. It shows him sitting at an outdoor dining area near Fourth Avenue and Market Street in the Gaslamp Quarter when he’s confronted. He denies knowing why the man recording the video has a photo of him, knows his name and knew where he was going to be sitting.

A second video posted by the group shows Harbor Police officers handcuffing and arresting Rappel-Schmid in his hotel room. A Harbor Police spokesperson did not respond Wednesday to a message seeking additional details of the arrest. But arrest records showed he was taken into custody on suspicion of meeting or attempting to meet a minor for lewd purposes.

“The Postal Regulatory Commission has become aware of the recent arrest of one of our employees,” the agency said in a statement. “Upon becoming aware of this information, the Commission has terminated this employee effective immediately. The Commission is shocked and horrified at these serious allegations and maintains a steadfast commitment to promptly deal with any claims of employee misconduct.”

A spokesperson for the Postal Regulatory Commission confirmed by email that Rappel-Schmid was hired five months ago and was attending a conference in San Diego.

According to a press release published on the website of Chief Data Officer Magazine, Rappel-Schmid formerly worked for Alaska as the state government’s first chief data officer and before that worked in the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General.

Rappel-Schmid did not immediately return a voicemail and emails seeking comment Wednesday.

Peter Blair, his attorney, wrote in an email Wednesday night that he could not answer specific questions because “there has been no evidence presented and the prosecutor has not filed charges.” Blair also wrote that he could not “speak to any allegation made by independent third parties,” referring to the People v. Preds group.

No comments: