2 Charged In Armed Robberies Of Boston Postal Workers

BOSTON, MA — A Massachusetts man and woman, both 22, have been arrested and charged in connection with the armed robberies of United States Postal Service letter carriers in Boston in November and December, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.

In two separate incidents, which occurred on Nov. 29 in Mattapan and Dec. 16 in Hyde Park, Myesha Lewis of Boston and Kenneth Demosthene of Stoughton are accused of following and then forcibly robbing mail carriers of their arrow keys, officials said.

An arrow key is a specific key designed to open designated blue USPS collection boxes in a specific area. They are the property of USPS, and it is a federal offense for an unauthorized person to possess one, according to officials.

During the Nov. 29 assault, the pair reached into the letter carrier's mail satchel and broke the brass chain which secured the key around the carrier's belt, according to officials. On Dec. 16, another victim was robbed at knifepoint, and Lewis and Demosthene used the knife to break the chain securing the key, officials said.

Lewis and Demosthene were charged with two counts each of robbery of any person having lawful charge, control, or custody of any mail matter or of any money or other property of the United States, aiding and abetting, two counts each of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees, aiding and abetting, officials said.

According to the charging documents, the USPS has seen a rise in the use of arrow keys to facilitate the theft of U.S. Mail.

Since July 2022, there have been at least 13 assaults on USPS letter carriers while in the performance of their official duties in Boston and surrounding cities and towns, officials said. At least 10 of them involved the robbery or attempted robbery of arrow keys, and of these 10 robberies, six involved a knife, firearm, or both.

The charges of robbery of any person having lawful charge, control, or custody of any mail matter or of any money or other property of the United States can each result in a sentence of up to 25 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees can each result in a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

Following an initial appearance Thursday in federal court in Boston, Lewis and Demosthene were released on special conditions.