Audit finds that USPS still doesn't have a handle on arrow key thefts

[dalton99a]

https://www.wftv.com/news/9investigates/audit-finds-that-usps-still-doesnt-have-handle-arrow-key-thefts/GCIKTXHORNA5NP33ZNXWKTR2HA/

Audit finds that USPS still doesn’t have a handle on arrow key thefts
By Karla Ray, WFTV.com
October 11, 2023 at 5:58 pm EDT

ORLANDO, Fla. — A new Office of Inspector General report found, despite being on notice for at least three years about the rise in mail theft and mail carrier attacks, the United States Postal Service has failed to act on its own initiatives to stop it.

9 Investigates has been covering this issue for the last year, and looked into what auditors say needs to change now to protect your mail and the people who deliver it.

We told you about the plan to replace thousands of blue collection boxes around the country with more secure versions, and creating enhanced security around the keys that open them, known as arrow keys; but the auditor’s report found USPS doesn’t have timelines or milestones in place to actually implement those changes.

The Office of Inspector General found in a sampling of five states, including Florida, where there should have been a total of 550 arrow keys in service, nearly a third -- 155 -- were missing. Of that, a vast majority -- 140 -- were not listed in the Postal Inspection Service’s own report tracking missing keys.

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https://news.yahoo.com/video-arrow-keys-keys-postal-040450786.html

VIDEO: What are arrow keys, the keys postal workers carry that thieves want
WFTV
May 12, 2023



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[Lonestarblue]

1. I'm sure Louis DeJoy will get right on this.

Right after he comes up with another idea for how to destroy confidence in the USPS.

[dalton99a]

2. +1

[brush]

3. A related issue are the banks of mailboxes in housing developments that get broken into.

I live in one of those neighborhoods and the bank of boxes where my box is was broken into two months ago and I have to go to the post office now to get my mail...have to wait in line, some times it's a long wait, get to the window and show my driver's license and the clerk will. go find my accumulated mail.

I wad told it can take three months to fix the vandalized bank of boxes but I'm not counting on it. It's very inconvenient with it being the holiday season and all.

Oh, and the HOA is just as unconcerned as the Post Office. I called them to see if they could complain to the Post Office about it, only to be told it's a Post Office issue and we don't get involved.

Think they could put fake cameras. on a tall poll aimed at the boxes. The crooks won't know if it's. fake or operating. It's an expense I'm sure homeowners wouldn't mind. The HOA is. gouging the shit out of us every month with it's fee. It's the least they can do with the big haul they get from us.

[bucolic_frolic]

4. My postmaster warned me not to deposit packages in those blue boxes

The blue box drop shoots were replaced with letter only slots for awhile. Now the old drop boxes are returning here or there.

I get about 5 important letters a year, and mail 3. Almost all could go online digital if I requested it.

[MichMan]

5. Mail in ballots are not safe

[dalton99a]

6. +1.

[Qutzupalotl]

7. Once the ballot is in possession of the Post Office, it is secure.

These thefts are occurring at the public end stages via arrow keys; there won't be a similar opportunity at the county clerk's office, which has witnesses. Voters can use the drop box if they suspect their mailbox has been compromised or simply don't want to pay postage

In mixed-voting states, mail-in votes lean Democratic and could be a target for theft, though this would be difficult on a large scale. In states that are entirely vote-by-mail, there is much less incentive for theft, since all voters use that method. Even if cross-checked with a database, there is no way to determine how someone voted, since voters don't necessarily vote straight party-line.

I think thieves are looking for account numbers and personal info for identity theft, as well as quick money from the sale of stolen goods, rather than trying to influence elections one vote at a time. But DeJoy might be happy to let the public lose confidence in vote-by-mail, which would give Republicans an advantage.

[MichMan]

8. I was referring to people mailing them with a stamp, not dropped off directly.

[Qutzupalotl]

10. They can track their ballot online

and if they mail it early enough, they can get a replacement ballot.

I still think thieves are more interested in money and valuables rather than swinging an election.

[MichMan]

11. I suspect thieves would just take everything instead of sorting through it at the time.

Why risk getting caught by standing there sorting through it instead of just grabbing the whole bag and running? Could be wrong however.

A significant number of people voting by mail, like my elderly mother, are not going to check their ballot status on line.

[MichMan]

9. Indianapolis postal service worker gets prison time for stealing $1.7m in checks from mail

Update:James Lancaster was sentenced in August 2023 to spend 40 months, or a little more than three years, in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and mail theft, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

A former customer service manager at the New Augusta Post Office has been charged in federal court for allegedly stealing $1.7 million in checks from the mail, according to court documents.

James Lancaster, 40, of Indianapolis was charged for theft of mail and conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Two men from Illinois — Lavaris Yarbrough, 26, and Jordan McPhearson, 30 — are facing charges of bank fraud and conspiring to commit bank fraud for their alleged role in the year-long theft operation.

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/indianapolis/2022/03/09/indianapolis-us-postal-service-worker-theft-from-mail/9440333002/

https://www.whas11.com/article/news/local/indiana/indianapolis-man-sentenced-stealing-one-million-dollars-checks-post-office-northwest-side-new-augusta-james-lancaster/531-6c5f9358-3293-4dce-94c9-e383d418c4c7

[dalton99a]

12. +1. Perhaps this is why the USPS has remained silent about this problem

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/crime/2023/11/15/federal-agents-arrest-delray-beach-mail-carrier-in-usps-key-theft-probe-stolen-checks/71578188007/

Mail-theft probe: Feds say Delray letter carrier sold box key to undercover agent for $10K
The letter carrier wanted $10,000 for a key that opened blue drop boxes and community mail slots from Boynton Beach to Boca Raton, documents say.
Julius Whigham II | Palm Beach Post

DELRAY BEACH — A Delray Beach mail carrier is facing federal charges after investigators alleged that he sold U.S. Postal Service arrow keys and numerous stolen checks to an undercover agent.

Hudson Adrien is accused of theft of mail matter by an officer or employee, and theft or reproduction of a key. He was arrested Monday following an investigation that began in June, according to a federal complaint made public Tuesday.

Investigators say he has worked as a mail carrier in Delray Beach since May 2020. Court documents indicate he lives in the Broward County city of Margate. An attorney listed as his representative could not immediately be reached for comment.

Adrien made his his initial appearance Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jared M. Strauss at the federal courthouse in Fort Lauderdale. Strauss set Adrien's bail at $500,000 and scheduled an arraignment hearing for Dec. 12.

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https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/crime/2023/12/05/ex-usps-worker-admits-selling-key-used-in-mail-theft/71783816007/

Ex-postal carrier admits selling key used in mail theft from collection boxes
Quinlan Bentley | Cincinnati Enquirer

A former U.S. Postal Service worker has admitted selling a postal key that was later used to steal mail from collection boxes.

Demarco Tapplar, 19, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Cincinnati to one count of stolen or reproduced keys or locks, a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison, court records show.

Prosecutors say people in the Cincinnati area were seeking to steal cash and checks from postal service collection boxes by illegally obtaining the keys to those boxes.

In January 2023, police recovered a stolen postal key, and the next day the mail theft perpetrators purchased a new "mail arrow key" from Tapplar, who at the time was working as a postal carrier.

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