Man stole mail trucks and keys in ‘prolific’ credit card theft scheme, feds say

A man accused of stealing multiple postal vehicles and mail keys that gave him access to “clusters” of mailboxes has been indicted in Washington, according to federal prosecutors.

The 27-year-old man was indicted on nine federal felonies on June 21 after residents around Seattle reported their credit cards had been stolen and fraudulently used, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington. He had been arrested in connection with the crimes on May 24, prosecutor said.

His attorney declined to comment.

Postal investigators began looking into a “string” of mail theft incidents in December involving stolen U.S. Postal Service vehicles, identity theft and fraud, according to a federal complaint filed May 16.

In one instance on Dec. 28, a postal truck was stolen with a mail key inside that could access most cluster mailbox units in a ZIP code in southern Seattle, according to the complaint. Clusters are freestanding units containing groups of individual mailboxes, often used for apartment buildings or developments.

After the truck was stolen, residents in that ZIP code began reporting their mail missing, the complaint says. On Jan. 9, one Seattle resident reported that his credit card had been stolen and $944 had been charged at various locations, according to the complaint.

On Jan. 17, two more postal vehicles were stolen in Seattle, according to the complaint. Another was stolen on Jan. 30 and abandoned a short time later, the complaint says.

On Feb. 7, another victim reported that their credit card had been stolen and used for over $2,000 worth of items at a store in Seattle, the complaint says. Footage from the store showed the person making the transaction, according to the complaint.

A fifth postal vehicle was stolen on March 28, according to the complaint.

Mail thefts continued from an area spanning between Lake Forest Park, a suburban city northeast of Seattle, to southeast Seattle, the release says.

Mail deliveries in one Seattle ZIP code were stopped for one week while investigators searched for the suspect, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Using security surveillance footage and doorbell camera footage from residents, investigators were able to link the man to the mail and vehicle thefts, according to the release.

Law enforcement officers later found him living in a vehicle that was parked near the home of one of his relatives, the release says. When officers approached, he threw a firearm into some bushes and tried to run away, according to prosecutors.

He is charged with “three counts of theft of government property, unlawful possession of a postal key, mail theft, possession of stolen mail, illegal transactions with a credit or debit card, unlawful possession of a firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition,” the release says.

Possible sentences for each of the charges range from five to 15 years, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.