5 big mail thieves busted in CSRA, but what if you’re a victim?
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Several Richmond County residents face prison for stealing mail using U.S. Postal Service master keys.
Mail theft is a growing problem across the CSRA as thieves use stolen checks and cards to siphon off thousands of dollars from victims. This is how local gangs get most of their funding, according to the special investigations unit at the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.
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Five defendants have pleaded guilty in federal court over three separate cases that happened in 2023, authorities said.
Two were caught in a traffic stop after they were suspected of stealing mail out of blue postal deposit boxes at the Martinez post office.
Another was a U.S. Postal Service employee accused of keeping a master key and stealing mail from a blue box at a post office on Peach Orchard Road.
One man was caught with numerous stolen checks, stolen mail, and various debit cards belonging to other people.
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Here’s a closer look at the cases:
Davion Chelsea Easterling, 26, and Corey Jamario Gunter, 24, both of Augusta, await sentencing after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting possession of a stolen mail key.
Easterling was employed by the U.S. Postal Service and shared a residence with Gunter. An investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office in 2023 led to a search of their home, where investigators found large quantities of stolen mail and multiple postal bins, along with a master key. Investigators found the mail had been stolen from a mail deposit box at the post office at 3108 Peach Orchard Road in Augusta.
The pair could get up to 10 years in prison, along with substantial financial penalties and up to three years of supervised release after prison.
Cameron Martinas Curry, 22, and Quavaun Enreco Rhodes, 22, both of Augusta, await sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of a stolen mail pey, possessing stolen mail matter, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
They were detained by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office for a traffic stop after being suspected of stealing mail from a deposit box at the post office at 125 Commercial Blvd. in Martinez.
They were caught with stolen mail, and two master keys were found less than 30 yards from the vehicle.
A federal search warrant for their phones revealed check images with a face value totaling $485,000. Numerous text messages and screenshots revealed they were stealing checks from the mail and depositing, altering or selling them for bank fraud and identity theft, prosecutors said.
They face up to 30 years in prison, along with financial penalties and up to five years of supervised release after prison.
Earl Demetrius Overton, 32, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft related to stolen mail.
He was stealing checks from the mail and depositing, altering, or selling them for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, authorities said.
He faces up to 30 years in prison, along with financial penalties and up to five years of supervised release after prison.
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NEXT STEPS
If you’re a victim: What you need to do
- The U.S. Attorney’s Office says if you believe you are a victim of mail theft from the Martinez post office or the Peach Orchard Road post office between the dates of March 1, 2023 and November 30, 2023, and you have not been ed by authorities, you should file a report by June 30.
- To do that, visit https://www.uspis.gov/raddocs/.html and reference Case Numbers 4183320-MT and 4207963-MT
- Mail theft victims who have been ed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office should submit victim impact statements or appear at future sentencings.
- The local defendants’ hearings dates and times will be posted at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdga/pr.
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“Mail theft has become an epidemic, and it is exceptionally costly to individuals and businesses victimized by these illegal activities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Tara M. Lyons.
It’s been a growing problem in the Augusta area.
In some cases, mail carriers have been robbed at gunpoint so thieves could steal their master keys to community mailboxes like the ones found at apartment complexes.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service says there were 153 mail carrier robberies nationwide in 2020.
By 2022, that had risen to 471. The thieves got 406 master keys in those robberies – and just 74 were ever recovered.
The U.S. Postal Service says there were at least 38,500 high-volume mail thefts in 2022.
The criminals use elaborate “check-washing” schemes to deposit money from checks that aren’t made out to them. This is especially easy using apps that allow deposits using a photo of a check.
Many of the stolen checks in the Augusta area are large checks from one business to another, often to contractors.
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