Three arrested, a fourth at large in central Arkansas mail theft

Four people have been charged by federal criminal complaint in the theft of mail from blue postal collection boxes in Central Arkansas, the U.S. attorney’s office in Little Rock announced Wednesday.

Over the weekend, law enforcement conducted numerous sting operations at a number of post office locations, officials said in a news release.

Early Monday, the release said, agents arrested Javion Trevon Dozier, 19, Gilpre Flowers, 23, and Jamoun Young, 23, all of North Little Rock. A fourth person remains at large. The three individuals in custody had their initial appearance Wednesday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edie R. Ervin after criminal complaints were filed.

Officials said the investigation began last spring when the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Little Rock Police Department began receiving complaints from individuals and businesses in Central Arkansas that their mail was being stolen. Law enforcement estimates that there have been more than 700 reported victims of mail theft and forgery in connection with the ongoing investigation.

“The arrests in this case demonstrate the commitment of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to ensure the public’s trust in the Postal Service, its brand, and the U.S. mail,” Thomas Noyes, inspector in charge of the Postal Inspection Service’s Fort Worth Division, said in the release.

“We will continue to dismantle groups responsible for stealing mail and committing fraud. I’d like to thank the Postal Inspectors, Little Rock Police Department, Arkansas State Police, Secret Service and the U.S. Attorney Office, Eastern District of Arkansas, for their diligence and dedication in this investigation.”

“If you steal United States mail, you should expect to go to a United States courthouse,” U.S. Attorney Jonathan D. Ross said in the release. “Your crimes are federal crimes and will be prosecuted as such.”

To decrease the chance of mail being stolen, Ross said people should be careful in using the blue Postal Service collection boxes.

“For all of you who would like to see your mail get to where it’s going, take your mail into the post office,” Ross said. “If you must deposit your mail in the blue box, please do so before the last posted collection time, and do not use blue boxes on weekends or federal holidays.”

Conspiring to steal mail and theft of mail carry statutory penalties of not more than five years imprisonment.

All charges carry a fine of not more than $250,000 and not more than three years of supervised release.

According to an audit report from the Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General, nearly 300,000 reports of stolen mail were received from around the country from March 2020 through Feb. 2021, which the report said was a 161% increase over the previous 12-month period.

A few recommendations to decrease the possibility of mail theft include:

■ Avoid using blue mailboxes on weekends, holidays or after hours. The most secure option is to go inside the post office and drop off mail.

■ Use a gel ink pen. Certain types of gel ink cannot be washed off because it permeates below the surface of the paper.

■ Pay bills online when possible. This will reduce the number of checks written and reduces exposure to possible fraud.

■ Monitor bank statements. Bank statements will include a record of written checks that have been cashed.