INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis man will serve over six years in prison for the armed carjacking of a U.S. Postal Truck in 2022.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Robert Powell, 23, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to 79 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to the robbery of mail.
According to court documents, the incident occurred on the morning of June 15, 2022, when a United States Postal Service worker was delivering mail at an apartment complex in Avon. At approximately 10:15 a.m., Powell approached the postal worker, wearing a mask and displaying a firearm. He forcibly ordered the victim to exit the vehicle while leaving her belongings behind.
Powell then stole the postal truck and drove at a high rate of speed for about a mile before pulling over to meet another individual waiting in a Mazda 6 sedan. Noticing the swift passage of the postal truck, another letter carrier in the area suspected something was wrong and followed the stolen vehicle. The witness observed Powell and the accomplice transferring mail and packages from the postal truck into the Mazda. The witness called 911 as the two fled the scene, leaving the postal truck.
During an investigation, U.S. Postal Inspectors located Powell's Facebook account. On this account, Powell regularly solicited bank account information from other users, in furtherance of a type of fraud called card cracking, even going as far as attempting to recruit a USPS mail carrier into his scheme.
The DOJ describes card cracking as when scammers convince people to share their bank account information to deposit fraudulent checks. Scammers obtain these stolen checks by either stealing mail (as Powell did in this case) or purchasing stolen checks from other criminals. The scammer then alters the stolen checks, deposits them into the other individual’s account, and withdraws the funds as quickly as possible, sometimes splitting the profit with the account holder.
"This criminal chose to threaten the life of a letter carrier at gun point, engaging in gun violence to facilitate the fraud scheme he perpetrated against countless victims. Fortunately, the letter carrier was not physically harmed, but the lasting trauma he inflicted is palpable,” said John E. Childress, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Letter carriers should not have to live in fear of gun violence simply for doing their jobs. Americans should not have to fear that their important financial documents will be stolen and exploited by fraudsters who wreak financial havoc. The serious federal prison sentence in this case demonstrates that there will be serious consequences for violence against public servants and fraud against the public. I commend the Postal Inspection Service, the Avon Police Department, and our federal prosecutor for their commitment to seeking justice for letter carriers and the public who depend upon them.”
“As postal inspectors, we are committed to ensuring the safety of USPS employees and the sanctity and security of the mail. Thanks to the hard work of our inspectors and the Avon Police Department, Mr. Powell can no longer threaten these,” said Inspector in Charge Rodney Hopkins. “I would also like to extend my appreciation to AUSA Massa for ensuring justice was served in this case.”