Lane von Herzen: When an Envelope Becomes Evidence: Postal Officer Craig Shimokasu as Witness

My Third Novel's Conclusion, My Heartbreak

My heart begins to break when I think about completing this particular book -- because this narrative has sustained me like no other story I've known. It's both more personal and more universal than my other works. But beyond memory and archetype, it's a cri-de-coeur about needing to become the person one is destined to be. And in the writing, I have met my own life's work, my own fated journey -- having the sense all the while that the pages are suffused with a resonance, an energy, an electrified field that defies explanation. Writers hope and pray to be overtaken by a work in this way -- to be conscripted into passionate service of a profound story. To experience it even once in a lifetime seems a great privilege. I still have several months before this novel is complete, and this constitutes my reprieve. Because I'm not ready for the beauty to end.

Friday, November 4, 2022

When an Envelope Becomes Evidence: Postal Officer Craig Shimokasu as Witness

November 4, 2022

To the Office of the Inspector General Hotline, Investigations Division:

I wish to convey to investigators my impression that postal officer Craig Shimokasu, who assisted me yesterday at the Menlo Park Post Office at 2120 Avy Avenue, seemed to have been contacted by the FBI regarding Mr. Viktor Goldmakher's mailing.

What were the factors that contributed to this impression?

1. When I initially presented Mr. Shimokasu with Form 3849 to explain that I needed to forward a certified mailing without taking possession of it, he claimed that he could not locate the letter associated with Mr. Viktor Goldmakher's certified mailing #7022 0410 0001 4482 4689. I sensed that he was prevaricating, so I calmly explained that I believed the letter was on the premises, as Form 3849 stated. He subsequently, and a bit shamefacedly, produced the item in question.

2. When I explained to Mr. Shimokasu that I was refusing the letter and requesting to forward it to the OIG Hotline, he stated that I would need to pay a new certified mailing fee. I do not believe that this assertion is correct, but I consented to pay for the forwarding as long as I did not touch or take possession of the item. He agreed.

3. When I attempted to pay the $4.60 charge with cash, Mr. Shimokasu claimed that my attempt to do so was somehow refused by his cash register, which he alleged showed "insufficient funds" to provide me with change. He asked me to pay with a credit card instead.

4. Mr. Shimokasu placed the new address and certified mailing number very precisely over the initial address and certified mailing number, as if attempting to conceal the origins of the mailing.

5. Mr. Shimokasu asked if "Lane MacWilliams" should be required to sign for the letter in Washington, D.C., even though he knew I was Lane MacWilliams. I explained to him that anyone within the OIG Hotline should be able to sign for the letter.

As a result of the above events, I felt uneasy about this encounter. After initially leaving the Menlo Park Post Office, I returned approximately 5-10 minutes later to ask Mr. Shimokasu to certify the fact that I had never touched or taken possession of Mr. Goldmakher's letter, certified mailing #7022 0410 0001 4482 4689. He willingly attested to these facts in front of another postal officer and another customer by signing his name to a factual delineation of events.

I believe the envelope of certified mailing 7022 0410 0001 4482/ now 7020 0640 0001 5530 8308 may represent important evidence in and of itself, given that there is a concealed address and tracking number underneath the OIG's address and tracking number.

I would ask that investigators please make every attempt to preserve the envelope of this mailing, together with its contents, all of them originating with Mr. Viktor Goldmakher.

I believe investigators should make an attempt to speak to Mr. Craig Shimokasu about any and all communications he received from FBI personnel on November 2, 2022 and November 3, 2022, though communications on other dates, and with other Menlo Park Post Office personnel, may be germane as well.

Given the apparent attempts of the FBI to prevent OIG Hotline investigators from obtaining this mailing from Viktor Goldmakher, I believe it is likely very important in establishing the FBI's active engagement in falsified law enforcement reporting toward law-abiding American citizens.

Thank you very much for your assistance in this critical matter.

Most sincerely,