HOUSTON — A former letter carrier technician for the U.S. Postal Service has been arrested after his indictment on a charge of theft of U.S. mail.

The United States Attorney's office in Houston said on Thursday that Mark Montanez, 35, of Houston, surrendered to agents of the postal service's Office of the Inspector General. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

The agency began investigating Montanez after a complaint that cash was missing from letters delivered on his route.

Montanez did not have an attorney listed in online federal court records. There was no current phone listing available for the suspect.