Burlington, VT – An Upper Valley postmaster acted in “extreme bad faith” in overseeing a letter carrier from North Pomfret, including falsely accusing him of repeatedly striking her in the head with a five-pound scanner, a federal judge ruled earlier this month.

U.S. Court of Federal Claims Senior Judge Loren A. Smith also awarded Brian Bowles, who was acquitted of a criminal charge in 2013, more than $72,000 in damages for wrongful termination by the United States Postal Service and sent a copy of his decision to federal prosecutors, suggesting that Hartford Village Postmaster Rosi O’Connell be investigated for perjury.

“Ms. O’Connell’s false accusations resulted in the plaintiff standing trial for an assault he did not commit. It also serves as the prime example of a government supervisor acting in extreme bad faith,” Smith wrote in the Aug. 8 decision.

“As Ms. O’Connell repeatedly perjured herself on the stand and engaged in incessant improper conduct as a government employee, the Court directs a copy of this decision to the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia for further investigation and action.”