MD Man Found With USPS 'Arrow' Keys, $80K In Checks Pleads Guilty

SILVER SPRING, MD — A Silver Spring man pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of U.S. Postal Service keys used to access USPS mail receptacles, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland said Monday.

Andrew Steven Martin, 30, was driving when a Gaithersburg Police officer performed a traffic stop of his vehicle on May 17, 2022.

After approaching Martin’s vehicle, the officer detected an odor of marijuana coming from the car, according to the guilty plea. Police recovered a bag containing marijuana in the center console, a half-smoked joint of marijuana, and two USPS “arrow” keys, one of which opened two collection boxes located outside the Reisterstown Post Office.

During the search of the vehicle, police also recovered from the back seat area a stack of credit cards that were not in Martin’s name; two identification cards, one of which bore a picture of Martin and a different name; and about 42 checks bearing the names of payors and payees who were not Martin, according to the guilty plea.

Police also found at least five debit cards; a privately made 9mm semi-automatic pistol loaded with 10 9mm caliber ammunition cartridges; and an orange pill bottle containing 27 tablets found to contain heroin and fentanyl.

In total, police found 47 personal checks and two cashier’s checks in the vehicle. The sum of the funds to be paid by the checks amounted to more than $80,000. At the time of the traffic stop, Martin was arrested on an open warrant.

Martin knew that he had a previous felony conviction that prohibited him from possessing ammunition, according to the guilty plea.

Martin faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition and for illegal possession of USPS arrow keys.

U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang scheduled Martin’s sentencing for April 30.