DUBLIN, Ohio — Two central Ohio men accused of robbing a mail carrier at gunpoint in Dublin last week were arrested on Thursday.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio said 18-year-old Da'mon May, of Columbus, and 21-year-old Mahad Jama, of Westerville, robbed the mail carrier, who was sitting in a USPS vehicle on Sawmill Road on April 4.
Authorities said Jama approached the work vehicle, showed a gun that May provided him and demanded the carrier's service key.
Postal inspectors executed searches at Jama's and May's homes on Thursday. May was found to be in possession of a firearm and the USPS key, authorities said. Jama was found to have checks in names other than his own both on his person and his home.
10TV has previously reported on how thieves are stealing keys to get inside USPS mailboxes and receptacles to steal checks. The checks are then washed or changed with a new name and new dollar amount, then cashed at a bank.
“We continue to investigate a network of individuals involved in robbing or stealing U.S. Postal Service keys for the purposes of accessing mail collection boxes to steal checks,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “As today’s charges show, our law enforcement agencies will work swiftly to identify those allegedly involved in this brazen conduct. We will not tolerate violence in any form, including against Postal workers who are simply trying to fulfill such an important role in serving the community.”
Both men are charged with armed robbery of a mail carrier, which is punishable by up to 25 years in prison.
