Three men from Fort Worth have received federal prison sentences adding up to over 17 years after they admitted to a brazen robbery of a U.S. letter carrier, an event that underscores a rise in attacks targeting postal workers. As reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, Cedrick Eugene Mims, Danny Yogi Oriszul Powell, and Cameron Kemond Gist each pleaded guilty to the robbery of property of the United States in connection to an incident where a gun was pointed at a postal worker to steal an Arrow Key, a master key for U.S. Postal Service mailboxes.
In a statement detailing the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton emphasized the increasing focus on such crimes, saying, "In response to a concerning rise in arrow key robberies, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas has become laser-focused on prosecuting these cases." Committed on October 24, 2023, the theft involved the defendants robbing the letter carrier, identified only as C.S., at gunpoint, and also stealing a postal scanner and vehicle keys.
Fort Worth Division Inspector in Charge Kai Pickens stressed the severe implications of such crimes against postal workers, "The sentencing of these three individuals shows the utmost importance we place on the safety of U.S. Postal Service employees," he conveyed. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, Mr. Mims brandished a 39mm pistol during the robbery while Mr. Gist supplied the firearms and Mr. Powell facilitated their escape as the driver.
This case stems from Project Safe Delivery (PSD), initiated in May 2023 as a joint operation between the U.S. Postal Service and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service aimed at protecting postal workers and thwarting postal crime. PSD's comprehensive strategy appears to be effective; since the project's inception, there has been a marked decrease in postal-related robberies and mail theft. Statistics show a drop of 21% in postal robberies and a decrease of 35% in mail theft complaints, demonstrating significant progress in combating this particular type of crime. The combined efforts have resulted in the arrests of over 287 individuals for postal-related robberies as of June 30, representing a troubling yet critical front in preserving the integrity of our nation's mail service.
