Washington D.C. Man Convicted of Orchestrating Mail Carrier Robbery Spree Across Maryland and Virginia

A Washington D.C. man has been found guilty by a federal jury for his involvement in a series of armed robberies targeting United States Postal Service (USPS) mail carriers. The conviction, announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, stems from a protracted period of criminal activity spanning from January to October 2022, during which at least seven postal carriers were robbed at gunpoint.

The trial revealed a coordinated effort by the convicted individual and his associates to commit armed robberies, not only in Maryland but also in Virginia and the District of Columbia. During these violent encounters, postal carriers were forced to surrender their keys, which provide access to public mail collection boxes and neighborhood cluster boxes. Following these thefts, the perpetrators altered and cashed stolen personal and business checks, defrauding victims of nearly $1 million. Evidence presented indicated that masked individuals, sometimes displaying firearms, would approach mail carriers during their routes, while sorting mail in their vehicles, or when servicing cluster boxes. In at least one instance, a carrier was physically assaulted despite complying with the demands. Surveillance footage from doorbells and businesses captured some of these robberies, corroborating witness accounts.

Further investigation linked the convicted man to the crimes through the frequent appearance of vehicles he was known to drive, a black Mercedes sedan and a blue Dodge Challenger, near the robbery locations. Data retrieved from his phone showed searches for post office locations shortly before the robberies, suggesting a pattern of targeted activity. Law enforcement’s identification of the defendant and his accomplices was aided by bank surveillance footage showing them depositing the fraudulent checks. A subsequent search of the defendant’s apartment in Marlow Heights, Maryland, uncovered a significant cache of approximately 1,500 stolen checks with a face value of nearly $3 million, sorted by their point of origin. Investigators also discovered materials used for altering checks and five of the seven stolen postal keys.

The scheme also involved the recruitment of individuals through social media platforms such as Instagram and Telegram, who would then allow the defendant to use their accounts for depositing the altered checks in exchange for a portion of the illicit gains. This method allowed the perpetrators to deposit a higher volume of fraudulent checks than they could have managed using their own accounts. The arrest of the defendant occurred on October 27, when law enforcement observed him and two co-conspirators exiting a white Dodge Challenger after reportedly stealing mail from three public collection boxes in Potomac, Maryland. One of the individuals was reportedly wearing a USPS uniform. A postal key, stolen from a mail carrier just a week prior in the same vicinity, was found in the vehicle.

The convicted man faces substantial prison time. For using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence on January 31, 2022, he faces a minimum of seven years and a maximum of life imprisonment. An additional sentence of a minimum of five years and a maximum of life imprisonment is stipulated for carrying a firearm during a crime of violence on October 20, 2022. These sentences are mandated to be served consecutively, resulting in a minimum total of 12 years for these two offenses alone. Additional charges, including armed robbery and conspiracy to commit mail and bank fraud, each carry a maximum sentence of 30 years. He also faces further penalties for other charges related to bank fraud, mail theft, and unlawful possession of postal keys. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Two co-conspirators, Marking Long and Enrico Hood-Jackson, have previously pleaded guilty to charges related to conspiracy to commit mail and bank fraud, with Hood-Jackson also pleading guilty to armed robbery and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence. The U.S. Attorney’s Office commended the efforts of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Prince George’s County Police Department, and the Montgomery County Police Department for their roles in the investigation.

Article by Mel Anara, based upon information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland

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