PHOENIX -- A federal grand jury has indicted a postal employee on charges of mail theft Thursday, authorities said.

The four-count indictment said Richard Allen Jones, 44, of Cave Creek, Ariz., sorted mail and stole letters containing gift cards, then used the stolen gift cards to purchase items for himself.

During a search of his home, agents found more than 100 stolen gift cards and pieces of mail, an investigation found.

If convicted, the former Kachina Station mail carrier faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.