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USPS rolls out new measures to crack down on mail theft
USPS said it is expanding its Project Safe Delivery crime prevention initiative.
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Federal prosecutors announced developments Thursday in two cases involving mail theft as the U.S. Postal Service works to secure deliveries. This is the latest in a string of charges across the United States.
A 21-year-old Missouri man was sentenced to 20 months in prison for bribing a mail carrier to obtain the key to a mail collection box, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced. In North Carolina, a bank fraud case using stolen mail was announced Thursday after authorities discovered a man stole more than 850 pieces of mail, including credit cards, tax returns, financial statements and checks, from at least 10 people. Pleaded guilty to the crime.
The Postal Service acknowledged an increase in mail fraud and attacks on carriers last year, citing an overall increase in crime nationwide. The agency said 412 mail carriers were robbed while on duty, and there were 38,500 “bulk” mail thefts in fiscal year 2022. The USPS announced that 305 mail carriers have already been robbed in the first half of next fiscal year, with more confirmed. The number of thefts is 25,000.
The agency announced it would replace 49,000 “outdated arrow locks” that can be opened using master arrow keys, which people tricked into stealing bundles of mail or committing financial crimes.
Mail theft and stolen checks are linked across the country. Although the use of checks has declined as more people use credit and debit cards and mobile banking apps, the Federal Reserve’s Payments Survey shows that people still write checks for an average of $2,430. ing.
Missouri man admits trying to bribe mailman with master key
Dwandre Valley, 21, of Bridgeton, Missouri, pleaded guilty in October to bribing a mail carrier, according to federal prosecutors. He admitted that in March and April 2022, he offered to pay three postal carriers for master keys (arrow keys) to open mail collection boxes.
Valley’s attorney, Joel Schwartz, told USA TODAY that he was disappointed in the sentencing because Valley had “stayed out of trouble” and learned lessons after the bribery incident. Schwartz said he agreed with the U.S. Attorney’s Office that Valley’s case is part of a “bigger problem” of postal security.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Crow said in his sentencing memo that Valley’s attempted bribery occurred amid reports of mail theft across the country.
“Mail theft has real impacts on communities. It undermines the public’s sense of security and trust in critical government services,” Crow wrote.
Prosecutor: North Carolina man stole from residents’ mailboxes
Several states away, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, Douglas Gumbs, 38, was sentenced to prison Thursday after pleading guilty to mail crimes.
According to federal prosecutors, from February 2022 to April 2023, Gumbs and Soheil Akhaban Rezai stole hundreds of packages from people’s mailboxes in and around Charlotte, North Carolina. U.S. prosecutors say Gumbs altered the amounts on the checks, changed the payee’s name to his own, and deposited and withdrawn the checks before the victims realized they had been stolen. .
Bank fraud carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Rezaie was previously found guilty on related charges and sentenced to 57 months in prison.
Reached by USA TODAY, Gumbs’ attorney declined to comment on his plea.
Other recent mail fraud cases in federal court include a Virginia man who, along with another person, stole stolen mail obtained by stealing arrow keys, as well as 83 checks and nine credit or debit cards. , including the fraudulent withdrawal of $85,000 using six U.S. savings bonds. . Olden Ellerbe III, 24, pleaded guilty on February 16 to mail theft and bank fraud scheme.
On the same day, Sean Fuller, 37, pleaded guilty to stealing mail while working as a mail carrier in Meriden, Connecticut. U.S. prosecutors said investigators saw Fuller open two packages at the post office and place them in his car.
Oversight agency audit of USPS response to mail theft
As complaints of mail theft increase across the U.S., the Postal Service watchdog blamed some of the blame on postal service procedures in an audit report released on September 28, 2023.
The USPS Office of Inspector General investigated the Postal Service’s ability to prevent mail theft from October 2020 to September 2022 across five major divisions: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, DC.
Of the 446 carrier robberies investigated, about half involved theft of arrow keys, according to the report. Inspectors also found 585 arrow keys missing across the San Francisco and Chicago offices.
Inspectors say the Postal Service “lacks accountability” for Arrow Key, doesn’t have enough staffing to deal with mail thefts and doesn’t have enough staff to deal with postal thefts. He said the inspectors had no professional training.
“These thefts damage the reputation of the Postal Service and reduce public confidence in the nation’s postal system,” the audit report said.
Freeze email: Recent frigid weather has created additional challenges for Postal Service deliveries.
Protect yourself from mail theft
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service recommends several additional steps to protect yourself from mail theft.
- receive mail immediately
- Avoid sending cash or gift cards
- Ask about postal delays
- Request signature verification
- If you move, complete address change procedures
- If you are unable to come to your home to collect your package, please store your package at your local post office
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