Newtown Police Investigate Theft from Mailbox Outside Post Office

NEWTOWN, CT — Police are investigating the theft of mail from a mailbox right outside a post office in Newtown.

Sometime between 2:30 p.m. Sunday and 6:30 a.m. Monday, the Express mailbox located outside of the Newtown Post Office on Commerce Road was broken into and the mail taken, police have reported.

As the United States Postal Service is a federal agency, mailboxes are considered federal property, and mail theft is charged as a federal offense. Violators could face up to five years in federal prison and fines of up to $250,000. Anyone found guilty of defacing or destroying mail can be fined up to $250,000 and imprisoned for up to three years for each act of vandalism. If the theft involves personal identifying information such as names, dates of birth, addresses, telephone numbers, tax I.D. numbers, Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers, the thief might also face charges of identify theft.

Anyone with any information or concerns is directed to contact the US Postal Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455.