A man who used a postal key to steal mail from collection boxes has pled guilty to possession with the intent to unlawfully use a U.S. Postal Service key, and theft of mail, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Kevin Ronny Williams, 23, of Brooklyn, New York, stole mail from 3 collection boxes in Liverpool, New York, on the night of March 5, 2020.
He pled guilty in federal court in Syracuse, New York, on September 16, 2020.
The chase
A state trooper spotted Williams’ car in a vacant parking lot at around 12:20 a.m. on March 6, 2020. He attempted to evade arrest, but ended up crashing his car in a ditch. Williams fled on foot into a wooded area but was eventually apprehended.
Police recovered a USPS letter carrier uniform jacket in a nearby back yard. They found a USPS letter carrier satchel in the front passenger seat of his car, and a black drawstring backpack in the back seat. The backpack contained 49 pieces of outgoing mail including checks valued at nearly $68,000.
Williams obtained the jacket, bag, and key from a USPS employee.
Investigators have surveillance video footage of Williams removing mail from a blue USPS collection box outside a Wegmans supermarket in Liverpool at around 11:35 p.m. on March 5, 2020. He was wearing a USPS letter carrier uniform jacket at the time.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the USPS-Office of Inspector General.
Williams is scheduled to be sentenced on January 20, 2021. He is facing up to 10 years in prison for possession of the postal key, and up to 5 years in prison for mail theft.
Williams was released on conditions pending sentencing.