Four people are facing federal charges after investigators say they stole mail from a U.S. Postal Service mail collection box in Bethesda, Maryland, in the spring.
They’re accused of stealing mail from a USPS mail collection box on Stanford Road near Maple Avenue on May 25.
The four people charged are:
- Eyalan Owona of Upper Malboro, 21
- Ibrahim Kourouma of Glenarden, 22
- Ali Dickerson of Hyattsville, 20
- Benjamin Washington of Owings Mills, 22
The four aren’t just accused of breaking into it the mailbox. They were allegedly in possession of United States Postal Service keys, which is also a federal crime, according to a release from the Department of Justice.
The DOJ said the indictments are part of a larger investigation into the robberies of mail carriers. There have been 13 robberies in the span of over a month in the D.C. area, many of which were focused on stealing these mailbox collection keys.
Three of the accused appeared in court for the first time Friday. The fourth, Kourouma, has yet to be taken into custody.
If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison — 10 years for possession of United States Postal Service keys and five years for the theft of “mail matter.”
Investigators want anyone with more information regarding letter carrier robberies as well as mail theft and other crimes committed through the USPS, to contact the United States Postal Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455 or on their website.
