CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A Chesapeake man was sentenced to five months in prison after pleading guilty to breaking into a post office and stealing keys that could unlock various kinds of mailboxes.
Lee Vann Tyner shattered glass at the Jolliff Station post office in Chesapeake in June 2024 and stole postal keys, according to court records.
Court records show images of small brown envelopes with addresses and mailbox numbers written on them. Prosecutors say the postal keys matched the mailboxes and Tyner was going to use, sell or dispose of the keys.
He got arrested a few days later at a gas station.
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Authorities say inside his SUV, they also found several Georgia driver’s licenses, mail, credit cards, debit cards, and Social Security cards that belonged to other people.
National President of the Postal Police Officers Association Frank Albergo says when arrow keys or other postal keys get stolen, it can impact hundreds or even thousands of victims.
He said stolen keys can open blue collection boxes, apartment panels, cluster boxes, PO boxes and green relay boxes.
"Those arrow keys open every mail receptacle in a given zip code. It's like having the key to the city. You literally just open up a mail receptacle, a collection point, and you start stealing mail," said Albergo. "Now they're in the hands of criminal networks so what's gonna happen is you're gonna have lots of mail theft in that zip code."
Stolen mail often leads to stolen banking information and stolen checks.
"Mail is stolen, identities are compromised, bank accounts are drained," Albergo said.
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Albergo testified to Congress in July as he continues to fight to get Postal Police Officers more responsibilities.
The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General said in July that improvements in technology have been made. Deputy Inspector General Julius Rothstein said criminal enterprises have worked to try and recruit postal employees to participate in the crimes. He said they studied hot spots in the country where mail had been stolen and thinks some improvements can be made.
"Better tracking of universal arrow keys, timely implementation of new technology, enhance security of maintenance mailboxes and improve security management at Postal facilities," Rothstein said to Congress last July.
Tyner received credit for time served and will be placed on probation for the next two years.
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