NORFOLK, VA – Three individuals from the Hampton Roads area have been formally indicted and taken into custody on federal allegations related to the armed robbery of U.S. Postal Service mail carriers and subsequent financial fraud activities. The arrests were part of a coordinated effort by federal authorities to address violent crimes targeting postal workers.
Ricky Damion Christopher Jones, Jr., 20, from Virginia Beach, was arrested on March 19 with charges including conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, interference with commerce by robbery, assault of a federal employee with a dangerous weapon, stealing keys adopted by the post office, and conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
Similarly, Samir As-sad Hurd, 23, of Chesapeake, faced arrest on the same day on charges mirroring those of Jones, with an additional count of possession of a stolen firearm. Manray Perry, 22, also from Virginia Beach, was apprehended on March 20, charged with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, interference with commerce by robbery, assault of a federal employee with a dangerous weapon, and stealing keys adopted by the post office.
According to court filings, from April 2023 through July 2023, Jones, Hurd, Perry, and additional co-conspirators are accused of orchestrating and carrying out armed robberies against postal carriers. These incidents involved confronting mail carriers, brandishing firearms, and demanding the carriers’ USPS-issued “arrow” keys in Norfolk, Hampton, and James City County, Virginia.
Additionally, co-conspirators in a related case, United States v. O’Sirus Landres Charles Ford (a/k/a Siris), et al., have entered guilty pleas. Da’Twan Watson, Jayden Stukes, and O’Sirus Ford admitted to their roles in the robberies and are awaiting sentencing.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Ajay Lall, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Washington Division, announced the indictments. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service led the investigation, with support from the Newport News, Hampton, Williamsburg-James City County, and Virginia Beach Police Departments.