2 Sentenced To Prison For Robbing Metro Detroit Mail Carriers At Gunpoint: Feds

MICHIGAN — Two men have been sentenced to prison after robbing several metro Detroit mail carriers at gunpoint, according to federal officials.

Michael Lamar Smith-Ellis, 31, of Detroit and Terrance Tucker, 33, of Phoenix, Arizona were each sentenced Monday to seven years behind bars for the robberies.

Officials said the robberies happened in Northville and Taylor at gunpoint in September and October 2023. The duo demanded that the carriers give them their master keys that are used to open mailboxes.

Police said they were eventually arrested during a robbery in Northville in October 2023. In that robbery, police said two people dressed in all-black clothing and wearing ski masks approached a postal carrier with a gun at 12:45 p.m. in the area of Silver Spring Drive and Eight Mile Road and "forcibly demanded" keys to postal boxes.

When officers searched their vehicle, they found firearms, gear, several credit cards in other people’s names, along with a USPS key ring and a mailbox master key.

"We all know the commitment of postal carriers to deliver the mail no matter the conditions. And we are committed to protecting them as they do their job," said U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon said. "These violent criminals deserve a serious sentence."