WICHITA —A former mail carrier in Sheridan County was sentenced Monday to six months in prison for stealing mail he was supposed to deliver, according to U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.

The defendant was ordered to pay $4,000 in restitution.

James N. Stephenson, 25, formerly of Hoxie, Kan., and now living in Basehor, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of mail theft. In his plea, he admitted the crime occurred while he was employed at the Post Office in Hoxie, Kan. He stole mail containing cash, gift cards and prepaid debit cards. He said he looked for birthday and anniversary cards that were likely to contain items of value.

After serving his sentence, Stephenson will spend two years on supervised release.