CA Lawmaker Proposes More Prison Time For People Who Steal Mail

CALIFORNIA — Mail theft is a federal offense, but a California lawmaker thinks those convicted of the crime are getting off too easy.

On Wednesday, Rep. Ken Calvert (R) reintroduced the Ensuring the Safety Our Mail Act, H.R. 446, which aims to enhance penalties for convicted mail thieves. Currently, the maximum prison sentence for anyone found guilty of mail theft is five years. If passed into law, Calvert's bill would increase the maximum sentence to 10 years behind bars.

"Americans continue to suffer from dramatic increases in mail theft here in the Inland Empire and around the country," Calvert said in a released statement. "It’s clear we must send a stronger message and have a more effective deterrent for would-be mail thieves."

Calvert's 41st Congressional District includes the Riverside County cities of Corona, Norco, Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, Canyon Lake, Menifee, Calimesa, Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, La Quinta, Indian Wells, and portions of Eastvale and Riverside. It also includes several nearby unincorporated communities.

Calvert cited recent instances of mail theft to emphasize the need for a stronger punishment, including robberies targeting U.S. Postal Service delivery personnel in Moreno Valley and Riverside and a series of thefts allegedly committed by two people in Rancho Mirage.

Mail thefts have strained law enforcement resources throughout the area for the last decade or more, often involving repeat identity thieves seeking credit cards and documents in mailboxes to perpetrate financial crimes. The Riverside County Sheriff's Department regularly announces arrests of suspected mail and identity thieves.

House Resolution 446 was previously brought forward but failed to gain traction in Congress' prior session.