Suspected mail thief caught on camera in Sacramento

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Neighbors said they have video of an apparent mail thief in a Sacramento neighborhood, but they’re also having trouble getting anyone to investigate.

The apparent mail theft was caught on camera in a gated community in Sacramento. A woman drives up in broad daylight, gets out of her truck and walks to the back of this mailbox in the Belmont Estates neighborhood. She seems to leave with a handful of mail.

She hasn’t been charged with a crime yet, but this isn’t the first time this has happened. Neighbors shared videos with 10 On Your Side of the same truck driver doing the same thing in the middle of the night.

Owner Maria sent ABC10 an email saying:

“The latest incident occurred in broad daylight on May 6, 2024, at 12:45 p.m. We attempted to get assistance from the Sheriff’s Department and were referred to the USPS Inspection Service (USPSIS) When I filed my complaint with USPSIS they informed me that I would be contacted by the investigator.IF” They decided to follow up on my complaint. I informed them that 20 houses in our community had been affected. »

10 On Your Side went directly to the U.S. Postal Inspector for answers.

“I want to thank her here on your show for making the effort to contact the Postal Inspection Service and sharing the information she provided. This is not always the best way to use survey resources to call people back if the information has already been provided. But we want to get the word out as much as possible that people can contact postal inspectors. Postal inspectors investigate these cases and we take them very seriously,” said Matthew Norfleet, Postal Inspector.

Norfleet said it has seen an increase in mail thefts across the country, which, if convicted, can result in up to five years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines. He said mail theft is an ongoing problem and reporting these cases makes a difference, especially given recognized staffing issues.

“We could always need more people, so I’m not saying we have as many people as we need. This is a huge problem. We’re hearing these reports from across the country, from communities that aren’t used to talking about it now,” he said.

The postal service has now replaced the key to access Maria’s gated community and neighbors have even placed padlocks on the back of the group box.

“The first thing we can ask people is to not leave their mail in their mailbox any longer than necessary,” Norfleet said. “Be aware of the delivery schedule, the collection schedule and don’t leave that mail out there any later than it needs to be.”

People can always call the National Law Enforcement Communications Center 24 hours a day to report mail theft. The number is 877-876-2455.

Do you have a problem and don’t know where to turn? Email [email protected].

Apparent thieves make off with handfuls of letters in cluster mailbox theft in Sacramento