A months-long investigation into stolen checks dropped in the Perry Post Office has led to four arrests, five outstanding warrants and a wake-up call for anyone still mailing paper payments around town.
Investigators say checks pulled from the mail were washed and used in a fraud scheme that hit roughly 15 to 20 residents in Perry and across Houston County. The probe began in September 2025 and culminated this week, when Perry detectives moved in on what they describe as a coordinated, multi-person ring.
According to The Telegraph, officers arrested four suspects: Exivaes Doral Robinson, 31, and Kevon Lemond Holmes, 30, both of Leesburg; Kevontae Demtrius Downs, 25, of Sylvester; and Diamond Sandrell Byrd, 32, of Albany. Robinson, Holmes and Byrd are charged with financial identity fraud and theft by deception, while Downs faces a financial identity fraud charge.
Detective Collin Howard told the Houston Home Journal that investigators believe someone had access to a post office master key and targeted checks on weekends or late at night, when no one was watching the boxes too closely. "If at all possible, do not mail a check at all," Howard said, urging residents to switch to electronic payments or hand outgoing mail directly to postal employees, the Houston Home Journal reported.
Police also announced outstanding warrants for five more people: Cory Antonio Thomas, Reshonda Renee Taylor, Lorenzo Oliver James, Gregory D. Jackson and Na’Quavus Shannoris Taylor. The Perry Police Department credited the Leesburg Police Department, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Houston County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Postal Service for helping carry the case across jurisdictional lines. The investigation remains active, and anyone with information is urged to contact Macon Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-877-68-CRIME, The Telegraph reported.
Legal Implications
The charges in the case line up with what prosecutors typically use in mail-based fraud: "financial identity fraud" and "theft by deception." Under Georgia law, financial identity fraud is defined and penalized in O.C.G.A. § 16-9-121, while theft by deception is covered in O.C.G.A. § 16-8-3. Those statutes spell out how using another person’s financial information or deceiving someone to obtain property can land defendants in serious legal trouble, including prison time and restitution, Georgia Code §16-9-121 and Georgia Code §16-8-3 show.
How To Protect Your Mail
In the wake of the case, Perry police and postal inspectors are pushing some simple, if not exactly old-fashioned, advice: stop dropping loose checks into standard mailbox slots. Instead, they recommend using secure post office drop boxes, handing mail directly to postal staff, or moving to electronic payments whenever possible.
For anyone who suspects their mail has gone missing, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service offers an online reporting portal and a hotline at 1-877-876-2455 for possible mail theft. The USPS also posts step-by-step guidance on preventing identity theft and what victims should do if their information is compromised, USPIS and USPS explain.
Authorities say the Perry probe is still unfolding and more arrests or charges could follow as evidence is reviewed. Anyone with information about the whereabouts of the people still wanted is asked to contact Macon Regional Crime Stoppers or the Perry Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division at (478) 988-2825, according to the Perry Police Department.
