North Bay Man Faces Up To 70 Years In Prison For Stolen Mail Keys: DOJ

BAY AREA, CA — A Napa County man is among three Bay Area defendants facing charges related to the interference of the delivery of U.S. mail, U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey and U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge Rafael Nuñez announced at a press conference held Tuesday.

It is alleged that during a traffic stop in San Francisco, Anthony Medina, 42, of American Canyon, was found with seven stolen mail keys. According to a complaint filed in federal court in Oakland, Medina tried to take off when he was stopped by officers with the San Francisco Police Department.

Medina was arrested, however, and that is when officers found the mail keys, stolen credit cards, images of mail believed to be stolen, and access codes to an apartment complex in San Francisco, federal prosecutors said.

If convicted, Medina faces 10 years in prison for each of the stolen mail keys. He also faces possible prosecution for having the suspected stolen mail and stolen credit cards in his possession.

U.S. Attorney Ramsey said two more defendants face several federal penalties after they were tracked down by federal agents and local law enforcement.

"The penalties for these crimes can be sobering," Ramsey said.

$150K Reward In Robbery, Assault Cases

Also during the press conference, Inspector in Charge Nuñez announced the reward is now $150,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone who robs or assaults a postal worker.

"There is no more important mission for us as federal agents than protecting postal workers from crime and violence," Nuñez said. "To any copycats or wannabes out there who might consider robbing a postal worker, I ask you to consider the years you will face in federal prison, the price on your head, and that postal inspectors will not stop hunting you. The proceeds of this crime are not worth your freedom."

Ramsey said the cases involved the theft of specialized postal keys that often grant access to large mailboxes or mail storage facilities. Holding one such postal key in his hand, Ramsey explained that federal laws have been "carefully crafted to protect the sanctity of the mail, including the sensitive information we entrust to the mail system; the safety of the federal employees and contractors who deliver the mail; and the federal property that is used to ensure mail delivery."

He went on to describe how 19-year-old Robert Devon Nicholson Bell, Jr. and 33-year-old Derek Hopson, both from the East Bay, were alleged to have violated the law.

It is alleged that Bell, an Antioch resident, participated in at least two armed robberies of letter carriers — one in Antioch and one in San Francisco — then used keys he robbed from the carriers to steal mail from blue mailboxes.

According to prosecutors, Bell was found in Antioch in possession of robbed postal keys, a substantial quantity of stolen mail, a fraudulent U.S. Postal Service ID with his picture, and stolen and counterfeit checks.

If convicted, Bell faces a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison for the unlawful possession of the postal key, as well as 25 years for each of the armed robberies.

Prosecutors allege Hopson, an Oakland resident, was found with stolen mail and postal keys in two separate incidents in June. In the first instance, San Francisco police officers were responding to a burglary in progress at a residence in the Mission District when they encountered Hopson in possession of several postal keys.

It is further alleged that Hopson used a mailbox key to gain access to mailboxes at a residential complex in the Presidio of San Francisco.

If convicted, Hopson faces a statutory maximum of 15 years in prison.

Seven More Defendants

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the following seven Northern California defendants also face time in federal prison if convicted in cases related to interfering with the delivery of U.S. mail.

• Craig Curtis Freeman and Kaylynn Nicole Ulrich each face up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted of breaking and entering into a carrier facility and another 10 years if convicted of possession of stolen mail.
• Stephen Hilton faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of robbery of a mail carrier.
• Michael Derryberry and Lucas Ostolaza each faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of two counts of robbery of a mail carrier and another 10 years in prison if convicted of two counts of unlawful possession of mail keys.
• Michael Morgan faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of unlawful possession of mail keys and another five years if convicted of possession of stolen mail and theft of mail.
• Vo Nguyen faces up to 20 years imprisonment if convicted of assault on a federal employee with a deadly or dangerous weapon; another 20 years if convicted of attempted murder of an employee of the United States; and a minimum of 10 years/a maximum of life in prison if convicted of using, carrying and discharging a firearm in connection with a crime of violence.