Man from California Charged in Mail Carrier Robbery Investigation
The defendant pleaded not guilty on Tuesday and is facing four federal counts related to July robberies.
A Sacramento man is facing four federal counts in connection with the armed robbery of a postal carrier and the possession of mail keys, as revealed in a federal grand jury indictment unsealed on Nov. 25.
William Carl Jackson, 36, has been indicted on two counts of armed robbery of a postal carrier and two counts of possessing mail keys, according to U.S. Attorney Phillip Talbert in Sacramento.
Federal prosecutors allege that Jackson robbed postal carriers on July 11 and July 31 in Sacramento County, as stated in a court indictment.
He was arrested by Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies on Nov. 11 and is currently in custody at the county’s main jail facility, according to inmate records.
He is suspected of wielding a black-and-tan pistol at both postal carriers and instructing them to surrender postal keys.
Authorities allege that Jackson would take the keys and flee on a bicycle.
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The Sacramento Magistrate Judge Jeremy Peterson ruled that Jackson should remain in custody without bail until his trial after pleading guilty in federal court on Tuesday.
If convicted, Jackson could face a maximum statutory penalty of 25 years in prison for each robbery count and 10 years for each count of possession of a mail key.
Each count also carries a maximum statutory fine of $250,000, as per the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
His next court date has not yet been scheduled, according to inmate records.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the law enforcement arm of the Postal Service, conducted the investigation into Jackson’s case.
A post office worker delivers mail to a community in San Diego, Calif., on Oct. 1, 2021. Jane Yang/The Epoch Times
“At this point, this is a nationwide problem where letter carriers are being robbed for postal keys,” Norfleet told The Epoch Times on Oct. 24.
The criminals have established an underground market for the keys, which open large community mailboxes to provide access to mail and checks, according to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Jerron Donte Williams, 34, of Gary, Indiana, pleaded guilty to assaulting and inflicting bodily harm on a mail carrier with a deadly weapon and discharging a firearm during the assault.
Federal prosecutors claim Williams fired at the mail carrier while his postal truck was in motion. Bullets hit the vehicle four times and shattered the right-side window, causing injuries to the driver.
In another case in Denver, Colorado, Marquis Taylor, 28, and Elijah Woods, 21, were indicted by a federal grand jury on Nov. 21 on one count each of conspiracy, assault with intent to rob a mail carrier, and mail theft.
An alleged accomplice, Dravell Emon Ross, 28, was sentenced to federal prison for four years in connection to the robbery on July 17.