Maryland Postal Worker Gets Prison Time For Mail Theft

We depend on postal workers to deliver our mail in a timely manner. While we may sometimes receive damaged mail, we don’t usually expect that our mail would get stolen by a post office employee.

However, that was the case for Maryland residents. A former postal worker for Harford County recently received his sentencing after stealing $565,000 in credit cards, bank cards, and checks from the mail. The 25-year-old man from Edgewood was sentenced to six years in prison and must pay $232,588 in restitution.

The man, along with a 29-year-old co-conspirator from Georgia, ran their theft scheme between July 2016 and February 2019. The two men also conspired with others to steal checks and credit and debit cards from the mail. They would then use the stolen items to open fraudulent banking accounts using the stolen identities. The men would then deposit the stolen checks into the fraudulent bank accounts. They would also use the stolen payment cards to conduct transactions.

When the postal worker stole mail pieces containing credit cards, he would send photos of them through a messaging application to the conspirators. The men could then use the victims’ personal identifying information to activate the stolen credit cards and obtain new credit cards. They would then use the credit cards to make purchases.

The conspirators also stole from businesses and registered fraudulent businesses in similar names. They would then use these fraudulent businesses to cash the stolen checks. The men then forged the signatures of identity theft victims and deposited the checks into the fraudulent business bank accounts. They would then withdraw the money via cash withdrawals, wire transfers, debit card purchases, and cash back transactions. In total, more than $500,000 in checkers were stolen from two businesses. Also, eight postal customers were identified as victims of identity theft.

Maryland has been hit hard by mail theft lately. Many residents are seeing outgoing mail stolen from their own mailboxes. Blue mailboxes in Silver Spring and Bethesda have been targeted by thieves in recent months. The thieves are taking mail out of these boxes and looking for checks. They are then altering and cashing these checks for a lot more than the original amount. For example, one check for $400 was altered and cashed for $5,000. One check for $69.13 was cashed for $8,000. This is causing residents’ bank accounts to be overdrawn for thousands of dollars.

Contact a Maryland Criminal Defense Attorney Today

Theft charges are serious, especially when the value of stolen goods is in the six figures. A person can face significant prison time and fines for engaging in these elaborate schemes.

Let a Columbia theft lawyer from The Law Offices of Todd K. Mohink, P.A. assist you with your theft case. Protect your reputation and your future with our assistance. Call (410) 774-5987 or fill out the online form for a free consultation. We have two offices to serve you.

Resource:

patch.com/maryland/belair/ex-postal-worker-harford-county-sentenced-stealing-mail