Washington, D.C. Man Receives Nearly Two Decades in Prison for Armed Postal Carrier Robberies

A Washington, D.C. man has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for orchestrating a series of armed robberies targeting United States Postal Service mail carriers. The sentencing comes after a federal jury convicted DeAngelo Lewis, 30, on charges including armed robbery of postal carriers, bank fraud, theft of mail, and the use of a firearm during a crime of violence. The offenses occurred between January and October 2022 and affected mail carriers in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

The scheme involved Lewis and his co-conspirators robbing mail carriers at gunpoint to steal USPS property. This stolen property was then used to facilitate the theft of personal and business checks from the mail. These checks were subsequently altered and cashed at various banks, resulting in a fraudulent gain of nearly $1 million. Trial evidence indicated that the robberies often occurred while carriers were performing their duties, such as sorting mail or servicing neighborhood cluster boxes. In at least one instance, a carrier was struck by a perpetrator despite complying with demands. Surveillance footage from doorbell cameras and business CCTV systems captured some of these incidents.

Further investigation revealed that vehicles known to be driven by Lewis, a black Mercedes sedan and a blue Dodge Challenger, were frequently observed near the robbery locations. Data extracted from Lewis’s phone showed searches for post offices in proximity to where the robberies took place, suggesting he was using this information to plan his targeted attacks. Law enforcement identified Lewis and his associates by observing them depositing stolen and altered checks on bank surveillance footage. A search of Lewis’s residence in Marlow Heights, Maryland, uncovered a substantial cache of approximately 1,500 uncashed checks with a face value close to $3 million. These checks were organized by their origin, and investigators found evidence of at least 60 previously deposited checks totaling nearly $1 million. Additionally, materials used for altering checks and six of the seven stolen USPS property items were discovered within the apartment.

Evidence presented at trial also indicated that Lewis utilized social media platforms, including Instagram and Telegram, to recruit individuals to deposit the stolen and altered checks into their accounts in exchange for a portion of the profits. This method allowed him to process a larger volume of fraudulent transactions than he could have managed alone. Lewis was apprehended on October 27th after being observed exiting a white Dodge Challenger with two accomplices. At the time of his arrest, they had reportedly just stolen mail from three public collection boxes in Potomac, Maryland. One of the individuals was wearing a USPS shirt, and the sixth stolen USPS property item, taken from a carrier only a week prior in the same vicinity, was found in the vehicle.

Two co-conspirators, Marking Long, 24, of Washington, D.C., and Enrico Hood-Jackson, 32, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, have previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and bank fraud. Hood-Jackson also admitted to armed robbery and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence. Their sentencing is scheduled for later this year.

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

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