The U.S. Attorney and the U.S. Postal Inspector have charged various defendants over acts of interference with U.S. mail delivery. The charges were announced in a press conference yesterday by U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Postal Inspector in Charge Rafael Nuñez. They stated that significant federal penalties can result from such criminal actions, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of California.

Alleged criminal behaviors include postal key theft, postal vehicle break-ins, mail carrier assaults, and unlawful possession of personal identification data. Ramsey and Nuñez underscored that such actions will not be dismissed unchecked and are subject to severe federal punishments.

The theft of specialized postal keys was a point of emphasis for U.S. Attorney Ramsey, as this appeared to occur in many instances. These keys provide access to large mailboxes or mail storage facilities. He further shed light on the federal regulations intended to protect mail, sensitive information shared through mail, postal workers, and federally-owned property used for mail delivery.

Ramsey went on to cite three specific defendants as representative examples of these crimes and potential penalties:

• Anthony Medina, 42, is accused of illegally possession seven postal keys. He was arrested after a botched getaway from a traffic stop, having with him various credit cards under different names, suspected stolen mail, and access codes to a San Francisco apartment complex. For each violation, Medina could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison according to the official press release.
• Robert Devon Nicholson Bell, Jr., 19, faces allegations of at least two armed mail carrier robberies and mail theft from blue mailboxes using stolen postal keys. Found possessing stolen postal keys, a fraudulent USPS ID with his photo, stolen and falsified checks, and stolen mail, Bell could face up to 10 years for unlawful possession of postal keys and a maximum of 25 years per armed robbery charge.
• Charged with two incidents of mail and postal key theft occurring in June 2023, Derek Hopson, 33, was caught during a burglary in San Francisco. Possession of multiple postal keys and alleged use of a mailbox key to access residential city mailboxes resulted in charges with a potential maximum sentence of 15 years.

More cases of a similar nature are currently under prosecution across the Northern District of California. To stress the high priority given to safeguarding postal workers, Inspector Nuñez declared the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone robbing or assaulting a postal worker will be increased to $150,000.