Mail Theft Monday : 03/03/20 – 03/16/20
More mail theft covered in yet another #MailTheftMonday! This week we’ve got credit card crooks, identity imitators, and even joyriding letter looters!
Surveilance camera captures mail theft
by Nicholas Brooks – WTOK-TV – 03/10/2020 – Meridian, Mississippi
The Sherrif’s Department is looking for two suspects they say stole mail from Al’s Garden and Gift and Twin State Customs on Mar. 6 at 1:55 a.m. That’s when Davis checked his surveillance footage and discovered a gray SUV at his store…
“The problems that it caused people like me who had bills… and statements going out. It causes a lot of problems for no reason. This is a senseless act…”
Al Davis
Anyone who has information about the theft is asked to call the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department. To remain anonymous, you may report your information through Crimestoppers at 855-485-8477.
WTOK News – Nicholas Brooks – 03/10/2020
COMMENTS: The surveillance video shows what we assume to be the suspect’s vehicle, so we are more hopeful than normal that the suspects will be caught by local authorities.
The timestamp from the surveilance video shows ~ 1:57 a.m. at the time of the theft, and we can’t help but reiterate that businesses and residents alike should avoid leaving outgoing mail in mailboxes overnight. Even if the outgoing mail ONLY included statements and bills, every bit of personal information that identity thieves can rack up from these mail articles is invaluable to the process of identity theft.
Remember, a locking security curbside mailbox does NOT secure outgoing mail. Police departments across our nation, postal authorities, and we highly recommend dropping outgoing mail off directly at the post office to avoid outgoing mail theft.
Man indicted for mail theft
by Clint Wolf – Beloit Daily News – 03/05/2020 – Madison, Wisconsin
A Wisconsin Rapids man was indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday for stealing mail, wire fraud, identity theft and being in possession of a forged check.
Beloit Daily News – 03/05/2020
Shelby Bottensek, 42, is accused of stealing mail, using credit cards found in the stolen mail, and using the identity of another person in the commission of a felony. He is accused of conspiring with others to steal over 350 pieces of mail addressed to over 170 people in Amherst, Wisconsin Rapids, Waupaca, Port Edwards, Nekoosa, Necedah, Plover, Portage, Wausau, Friendship, Janesville, Westfield, and the Town of Saratoga from August through October 2019.
Bottensek was also charged with using two corporate checks to purchase items at a business in Beloit and using stolen credit cards to put funds in a commissary account of an inmate at the Walworth County Jail.
COMMENTS: While the federal indictment of a mail or identity thief never fails to make us happy, the thought of over 170 innocent people having to deal with the repercussions and stress of identity theft will always make us wince.
Our very first product, the original Mail Boss locking security mailbox, was created because an owner and founder of Mail Boss was once a mail theft victim himself. He couldn’t find a product on the market that was both affordable, and would stand up to mail thieves. They thus set out on making a locking mailbox with both attributes at its very core.
While these particular thefts occurred between six to nine months ago, we really hope that the victims of these crimes have since secured their mail and recovered their identities. To any that haven’t already, we highly suggest investing in mail and identity security. Don’t be a victim!
Lewiston man pleads not guilty to mail theft, burglary charges
by Jackson Wilde staff – HJNEWS– 03/16/2020 – Lewiston
A Lewiston man accused of multiple mail thefts and storage unit burglaries pleaded not guilty and waived his continued preliminary hearing on Wednesday…
…Goodwin, 51, faces nearly 40 charges that span five cases, including two counts of second-degree theft, two counts of third-degree burglary and four counts of third-degree forgery.
A preliminary hearing for two of the five cases was held on Feb. 27, where Goodwin was bound over for trial on the bulk of the charges and bail was set at $7,400. Three class-A misdemeanor mail theft charges were dismissed while another mail theft charge was enhanced to a second-degree felony…
…According to police testimony, officers pulled Goodwin over for registration that had been expired for three months and were going to tow the vehicle. Police said they found three Utah drivers licenses in the vehicle, several pieces of stolen mail and a check worth almost $9,000 made out to another person. Goodwin was searched during the stop, yielding drug paraphernalia.
Police also responded to a report of a burglarized storage unit with items missing. Officers later found another unit that had been broken into. According to police testimony, officers found the items at an address in Lewiston where Goodwin was living; the stolen items were valued at almost $9,000 by the owners….
…Another case alleges Goodwin burglarized a vehicle and stole a wallet. Though police have been unable to find the wallet, officers allege Goodwin used the wallet’s contents at Walgreens and have still footage of him at the store.
HJNEWS – 03/11/2020
COMMENTS: In yet another case of multi-crime-mail-theft,Goodwin was charged for a whole plethora of crimes. The list includes, but is not limited to property theft, mail theft, burglary, and forgery.
I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of Goodwin’s crimes. He allegedly stole $9000 from each of two victims! That’s a whole lot of money, and it just goes to show how much damage can be done through mail theft, property theft and burglary.
As always, we recommend securing your property, including your mail. The use of a secure and built-to-last locking mailbox is one of the best ways to do so.
San Angelo cyclists arrested after report of mail theft leads to narcotics
by Alana Edgin – San Angelo Standard-Times – 03/11/2020 – San Angelo, Texas
Michael Guevara – Photo: San Angelo Police Dept. 
Yesenia Vera – Photo: San Angelo Police Dept.
Police arrested a pair of San Angelo cyclists Tuesday night after a report of mail theft led to the discovery of methamphetamine, according to an SAPD news release.
Around 11:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 10, 2020, police responded to the 2300 block of Dallas Street for the report of a man and woman riding bicycles and stealing mail from mailboxes, according to the release.
Officers located the duo near Garfield and Dallas Streets. The woman lied about her identity and gave officers an identification card that did not belong to her, the release states. Police also found suspected methamphetamine and discovered she had three outstanding warrants.
The man had an outstanding warrant for violating parole and had suspected methamphetamine and marijuana, according to jail records.
Both cyclists had multiple pieces of mail, opened and unopened, belonging to various people. They also had handwritten notes containing personal identifying information and banking information.
Michael Don Guevara, 31, was arrested on suspicion of possessing methamphetamine, possessing marijuana and a warrant. He remained in Tom Green County Jail in lieu of a $12,500 bond as of 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 11, according to online jail records.
Officers arrested Yesenia Vera, 28, on suspicion of possessing methamphetamine, failure to identify as a fugitive from justice, and some warrants. She remained in jail in lieu of a $8,000 bond as of 5 p.m. Wednesday, according to online jail records.
Additional charges are pending. The Criminal Investigations Division is investigating and will be in contact with the victims to return items in the coming weeks, according to the release.
The police department is also asking for anyone with surveillance video of the pair to reach out to the department at 325-657-4264 and reference case 2020-3478.
Alana Edgin – San Angelo Standard-Times – 03/11/2020
COMMENTS: Aww, what a wonderful date! These two found themselves joyriding the neighborhood streets of San Angelo. Every mailbox, a new opportunity for theft love!
We couldn’t imagine a better way to quickly buzzkill their date than a bunch of Mail Boss mailboxes all lined up in a row; at least then, they might end up enjoying a bike ride around one of the beautiful nearby lakes or reservoirs!
On the other hand, a sudden end to their two-wheeled adventure was accomplished by the local police, who confronted and arrested them on possession of methamphetamine and previous warrants.
Quite frankly, we hope all of the victims’ mail is recovered, and that no serious long-term damage was done by this thievery. However, all too often this is not the case, and the impact of mail and identity theft can scar for years.