FRANKFORT, Ky.— A Louisville man, Antwan Lovelace, 27, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison last Wednesday, by U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove, following his conviction for possession of stolen mail.
According to the evidence at his trial, in late December 2020, in an apartment in Frankfort, Lovelace was in possession of over $400,000 worth of stolen mail. The stolen mail included checks, money orders, gift cards, and greeting cards; various ID documents; bank cards; acetone containers; and other chemicals commonly used to wash checks. Investigators contacted the senders of the checks and discovered they had mailed the checks from various post office locations in and around Louisville.
A jury convicted Lovelace in January 2022. Lovelace’s co-defendant, Joiya Smith, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.
Under federal law, Lovelace must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years.
“In some form or fashion, every one of us relies on the postal system to communicate, exchange articles, or transact business,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “That means the integrity of the postal system is critically important to us all. In conjunction with our partners, we will continue to investigate and prosecute those who criminally exploit the postal system. And this case should serve as a warning of the potential consequences that face those who do.”
“The results of this investigation serve as a great example of the coordination between the US Postal Inspection Service and our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to preserve the safety, security, and integrity of the nation’s mail system from criminal activity,” said Lesley C. Allison, U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge of the Pittsburg Division. “As the nation’s oldest federal law enforcement agency, the Postal Inspection Service has a long, proud, and successful history of fighting criminals who misuse our nation’s postal system.”
United States Attorney Shier and Inspector Allison, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the USPIS, with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service, Louisville Metro Police Department, and Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. The United States was represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James Chapman.
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