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Pak Mail manager charged with theft By JILL BRISKEY Medford police are asking victims who may have been scammed by a local shipping store manager to come forward and make a report. According to Lt. Tim George, Joseph Ben Kolnick, 50, of 2259 College Way, Medford, was arrested Wednesday and charged with second-degree forgery, third-degree theft, two counts of first-degree theft and two counts of second-degree theft. Kolnick, the former owner and manager of Pak Mail at 890 Biddle Road, was lodged in the Jackson County Jail on $25,000 bail. The 890 Biddle Road address is now vacant. But Pak Mail's chief executive officer worries that another Pak Mail franchise owner in town will be hurt by the claims against Kolnick. George said Medford police began investigating Kolnick in early April after receiving complaints from angry customers who claimed to have mailed packages through Pak Mail that were "lost" in the mail. Customers also complained of purchasing insurance for packages and never receiving it, George said, while others reported paying for items to be delivered through FedEx or UPS but were instead shipped by U.S. mail. "Some of our cases concern the actual theft of the item, or that the item was never actually sent," George added. Police believe Kolnick - who posted bail and was released from jail Wednesday afternoon - allegedly bilked other customers who never reported the loss. "We're asking that any other potential victims out there come forward," George said. "We would like to hear from them." George said that before Kolnick's arrest, UPS stopped conducting business with Pak Mail. Evan Lasky, chief executive officer of Pak Mail Centers of America Inc. in Denver, said Kolnick purchased the Pak Mail franchise on Biddle Road Sept. 6, 1999. Kolnick and his wife attended 10 days of training in Denver and Lasky said there were few problems with Kolnick's franchise until after Christmas 2000. Kolnick's franchise was revoked May 4, Lasky said. Lasky said Pak Mail has been in business since 1984 with 400 locations in the United States and 50 elsewhere. Kolnick's Pak Mail franchise operated for 12 years under a previous owner without trouble. Lasky said problems became evident when customer complaints escalated, then UPS began calling, followed by a Medford police detective. Lasky said former customers should call Medford police to report missing packages or other problems, because "any shipping records would be in Kolnick's possession." For more information, contact the Medford Police Department at 774-2228. Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.