LITTLE ROCK—Four defendants have been indicted for their alleged involvement in stealing mail from mail receptacles. Byrannia Burks, 20, James Miller, 26, Kobe Powell, 24, and Eshawn Tucker, 21, all of Little Rock, have been charged by a grand jury with possession of stolen mail. Tucker and Burks were also charged with unlawful possession of a mail receptacle key.
Miller, Powell, and Tucker were all previously charged in criminal complaints filed July 18. All three, along with Burks, were subsequently indicted. Powell appeared in court today, and Miller, Tucker, and Burks will be arraigned by United States Magistrate Judge J. Thomas Ray later this month.
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will spare no effort to solve crimes affecting the U.S. Mail, the Post Office and its customers,” said Thomas Noyes, Inspector in Charge of the Fort Worth Division. “It’s unfortunate when mail thefts occur, but these arrests reflect the ongoing efforts and resolve Postal Inspectors maintain to arrest those responsible. We thank our federal, state and local law enforcement partners for their assistance, in addition to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their commitment to prosecuting cases of this nature.”
“The Secret Service along with our partners in federal and local law enforcement remain committed to aggressively defending and protecting individuals, companies and other entities from criminal actors that steal, defraud and wreak havoc on so many across the country,” said Special Agent in Charge Allen Bryant of the U.S. Secret Service Little Rock Field Office. “The Secret Service believes that building trusted partnerships between all levels of law enforcement is a proven model for success in prosecuting these types of cases, and we thank the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Little Rock Police Department, the Arkansas State Police, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their dedication to this important mission.”
“Collectively, members of our Financial Crimes Unit, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Secret Service have been able to identify, disrupt and now federally indict those taking the opportunity to steal from locations deemed impenetrable by society,” stated Little Rock Police Department Assistant Chief Wayne Bewley. “The Little Rock Police Department values the working relationship with our federal partners, and these indictments display the work of many collaborative efforts.”
If convicted, each defendant faces potential penalties for possession of stolen mail of not more than five years imprisonment and for unauthorized possession of a mail receptacle key of not more than 10 years imprisonment. All charges carry a fine of not more than $250,000 and not more than three years of supervised release.
The case is being investigated by the United States Secret Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, Arkansas State Police, and the Little Rock Police Department. An indictment only contains allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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