2 Face Federal Charges In Mail Theft Spree

BRONXVILLE, NY — Two men accused of a mail theft spree appeared Thursday in White Plains federal court. Just one bag recovered by police contained more than $66,000 in stolen checks and money orders taken from the mail, prosecutors said.

Steven Carson and Derek Brown, both of Yonkers, were charged with stealing mail from Postal Service mailboxes. Carson was also charged with using a stolen mail box key to steal mail, Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Peter Rendina, Inspector-in-Charge of the New York Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”), announced.

“The crime of mail theft is a violation of the trusted tradition our customers place in the delivery and receipt of the U.S. Mail," Rendina said. "No matter how long it takes or the rhetoric spoken, Postal Inspectors are watching and always on the investigative forefront in keeping the U.S. Mail safe from theft.”

According to the allegations in the Complaint unsealed in White Plains federal court:

Prosecutors allege that on April 2, 2018, Brown redeemed a stolen gift card at a Gap store the same day that a Bronxville victim mailed the card. Two days later, on April 4, Carson deposited two money orders stolen from the mail into an account in Brown's name.

Then, on April 20, Carson and Brown fled from police officers during a traffic stop in Eastchester, after the officers recovered a bag full of mail in their car. In total, the bag contained more than $66,000 in stolen checks and money orders taken from the mail, prosecutors said.

Carson was also captured on video surveillance on four occasions – April 18, 19, 20 and May 4, 2018 – opening locked Postal Service boxes and stealing mail in Bronxville, prosecutors allege.

Carson, 27, and Brown, 28, are each charged with one count of mail theft, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Carson is also charged with one count of stealing a Postal Service key, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The investigation is continuing.

Berman praised the outstanding work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Secret Service, the Yonkers Police Department, the Bronxville Police Department, the Eastchester Police Department, and the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.

SEE ALSO:

• Police Investigating Mail Thefts
• Bronxville Police Make Arrests For Mail Theft, Bank Fraud
• Two More Arrests Connected To Wave Of Mail Thefts

PHOTO/ USPS