A Cincinnati man has been sentenced to 90 months in prison following an armed robbery of a postal carrier last summer, a reflection of the larger trend of postal-related crimes in the region. Lamarion Gray, 19, was handed down this sentence after pleading guilty to robbery of U.S. property, according to a press release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
Court documents reveal that on the afternoon of July 12, 2023, Gray accosted a letter carrier delivering mail on foot and, brandishing a firearm, demanded the keys to the mailbox. After securing the keys, Gray took off on foot. An investigation that included canvassing the neighborhood and reviewing surveillance footage led authorities to Gray's girlfriend’s residence, the site where he was later found.
The search of Gray’s residence yielded a trove of stolen mail and checks, contributing to his guilty plea earlier this year. "This case is part of a series of mail thefts and bank frauds that have victimized the Greater Cincinnati area over the past few years," United States Attorney Kenneth L. Parker stated, per the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Gray's sentence includes a five-year term of supervised release following his incarceration, and he is ordered to pay $14,176 in restitution to the victim.
Senior U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett imposed today's sentence with support from Lesley Allison, Inspector in Charge at the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Pittsburgh Division, and Edwin C. Cordie III, Police Chief of Colerain Township. The United States is represented in this case by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy S. Mangan, who emphasized the broader impact of such crimes, stating through the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Ohio, "Armed assault on a postal worker has a significant, negative impact on all letter carriers, and eventually on everyone in the community who relies on the U.S. Postal Service."
