3 charged in robberies of local postal workers
Investigators say arrests are part of mail theft scheme
Three Hampton Roads residents were arrested in connection to a series of armed robberies of U.S. Postal Service workers as part of an alleged scheme to gain access to the general public’s mail and commit financial fraud.
The arrests stemmed from robberies of Postal Service workers May 8 and 9 in Norfolk and Hampton, respectively. Investigators believe these were connected to at least three other robberies in July in James City County and Hampton. The robberies are part of a growing trend across the country in threats to mail carriers, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
In fiscal year 2022, there were 412 robberies of mail carriers on duty and 305 in the first half of fiscal year 2023, according to court documents. The Postal Service has been increasing the security of collection boxes to protect against mail theft since 2022, and criminals have been targeting carriers instead to steal their “arrow keys,” or master keys, that can open all forms of mailboxes within defined areas.
The keys are sold on the black market for thousands of dollars, according to court documents, due to their usefulness in committing check fraud and identity theft.
Ricky Damion Christopher Jones Jr., 20, of Virginia Beach and Samir As-sad Hurd, 23, of Chesapeake were arrested March 19; Manray Perry, 22, of Virginia Beach was arrested March 20. All were charged with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, interference with commerce by robbery, assault of a federal employee with a dangerous weapon and stealing keys adopted by the post office.
Jones and Hurd also were charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and Hurd was charged with possession of a stolen weapon.
The indictment includes screenshots of a Telegram channel with three “key” emojis as its name allegedly showing the trio explicitly planning the details of the robberies.
Prosecutors allege that Jones, Hurd and Perry were co-conspirators of Da’Twan Watson, Jayden Stukes and O’Sirus Ford, all of whom pleaded guilty to interference with commerce by robbery in December. Ford additionally pleaded guilty to using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of, a crime of violence.
Watson and Stukes will be sentenced in April. Ford will be sentenced in May.