Bay Area Residents Arrested On Charges Of Interfering With The Mail

BAY AREA —Multiple people from the Bay Area have been arrested and charged this week for allegedly interfering with U.S. mail deliveries, according to federal prosecutors.

The acts of interference include theft of postal keys, break-ins of postal vehicles, assaults on letter carriers, and illegal possession of personally identifying information, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California said in a statement Tuesday.

• Anthony Medina, 42, a resident of American Canyon, is alleged to have unlawfully possessed seven mail keys. He is also accused of possessing credit cards in the names of other individuals, images of suspected stolen mail, and access codes for an apartment complex in San Francisco. He faces 10 years in prison for unlawful possession of mail and credit cards, if convicted.
• Robert Devon Nicholson Bell Jr., 19, a resident of Antioch, is alleged to have participated in at least two armed robberies of letter carriers in Antioch and San Francisco. He is also accused of using mail keys to steal mail from blue mailboxes. He was allegedly found in Antioch in possession of robbed postal keys, a substantial quantity of stolen mail, a fraudulent USPS ID with his picture, and stolen and counterfeit checks. He faces a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison for unlawful possession of the postal key, as well as 25 years for each of the armed robberies, if convicted.
• Derek Hopson, 33, a resident of Oakland, is accused of stealing mail and postal keys in two separate incidents in June. Hopson was allegedly caught in possession of several postal keys when he was arrested at a residence in the Mission District of San Francisco. He is also accused of using a mailbox key to gain access to mailboxes at a residential complex in the Presidio of San Francisco. He faces a statutory maximum of 15 years in prison for unlawful possession of postal keys and injury to mail bags, if convicted.
• Craig Curtis Freeman and Kaylynn Nicole Ulrich are accused of breaking and entering into a carrier facility, possessing stolen mail and theft of mail. They both face 10 years of imprisonment, if convicted.
• Stephen Hilton is accused of robbery of a mail carrier. If convicted, he faces 25 years of imprisonment.
• Michael Derryberry and Lucas Ostolaza are each charged with two counts of robbery of a mail carrier and two counts of unlawful possession of the postal keys. They both face 25 years of imprisonment if convicted of robbery of a mail carrier, and 10 years in prison for unlawful possession of postal keys.
• Michael Morgan is charged with unlawful possession of mail keys, possession of stolen mail and theft of mail. He faces 10 years of imprisonment for unlawful possession of mail, and five years of imprisonment for possession of stolen mail and theft of mail, if convicted.
• Vo Nguyen is charged with assault on a federal employee with a deadly or dangerous weapon; attempted murder of an employee of the United States; and using, carrying, and discharging a firearm in connection with a crime of violence. If convicted, he faces 20 years of imprisonment for assault on a federal employee with a deadly or dangerous weapon; 20 years of prison time for attempted murder of an employee of the United States; and a minimum of 10 years of imprisonment and maximum life in prison for using, carrying, and discharging a firearm in connection with a crime of violence.

"There is no more important mission for us as federal agents than protecting postal workers from crime and violence," U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge Rafael Nunez said in a statement. "To any copycats or wannabes out there who might consider robbing a postal worker, I ask you to consider the years you will face in federal prison, the price on your head, and that postal inspectors will not stop hunting you. The proceeds of this crime are not worth your freedom."

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