As postal carriers hustle to deliver packages and ballots, a growing cadre of thieves has turned mailrooms, curbside boxes and even postal facilities into target practice.
The result: a dizzying spike in coordinated, large-scale heists that law enforcement and postal workers say are riskier, more frequent, and flatter-out bolder than what anyone remembers from a decade ago.
Federal records shared by the Postal Police Officers Association with Eyewitness News paint a stark picture: in fiscal year 2024 there were 52,000 high-volume mail attacks nationwide—up from roughly 2,000 in 2010.
That’s not a seasonal blip.
That’s a surge that has postal-security veterans reaching for stronger language and, apparently, stronger coffee.
“The criminals are getting more and more brazen, I mean, you see it in that video,” said Postal Police Officers Association President Frank Albergo, referring to a widely circulated clip of thieves sprinting from a U.S. Postal Service office on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles’ Fairfax District.
The FBI later offered $100,000 for information leading to arrests in that case.
“They literally don't care. They don't think they are going to be caught because they probably won't be caught,” Albergo added—a blunt assessment of what frontline postal officers describe as opportunistic, well-coordinated crime rings.
Part of the problem is manpower.
Albergo notes there are roughly 350 postal police officers guarding USPS facilities across the country—numbers that, he and others say, are inadequate for the scale of attacks being reported.
That perception fuels calls for more resources even as the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) points to recent enforcement wins.
The agency says postal inspectors have busted more than 3,000 people for mail theft over the past two years—a significant tally, though critics say arrests alone won’t stop the volume or violence.
And the tactics are increasingly dramatic.
Take the case of Tajmir Wyles, 31, who pled guilty to violently assaulting and robbing a postal letter carrier and stealing master keys during a May 15, 2023 delivery at a Tampa-area shopping center.
Wyles was arrested in Dallas in July 2023; authorities say they found a binder of checks stolen from Florida along with the master keys. Wyles faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
That episode—keys wrested from a carrier in the field—illustrates how thefts from grab-and-run to organized schemes that enable far more widespread fraud.
Other episodes show imposters and impersonation, too.
In Hialeah, Florida, deputies detained 28-year-old Erickson Ostilien after neighbors reported a suspicious person in a postal uniform near the Waterford Business District, south of the Dolphin Expressway near the Blue Lagoon.
Deputies say Ostilien claimed to be a USPS employee but couldn’t provide ID; an arrest report notes: “Mr. Ostilien continued looking at his phone for a picture, while acting very nervous, avoiding eye contact and even attempting to tie his shoes.”
A search turned up a large USPS key and another key in his car—and the mail bin he carried contained 88 pieces of stolen mail. Investigators later confirmed he was not a postal employee.
Why the spike now?
Investigators point to several factors: the explosion of e-commerce and paper-based valuables (checks, identity documents), weakly secured cluster mailboxes or parcel lockers, and criminal networks that use stolen mail to commit identity theft, check fraud and resale scams.
Opportunistic thieves also exploit moments when carriers are isolated on routes or when retail and apartment mailrooms lack adequate surveillance.
What can be done?
Postal officials and security advocates recommend multiple steps: beef up staffing for postal police, install cameras and alarms at high-risk facilities, harden cluster-box designs, increase coordination with local police, and run public-awareness campaigns encouraging residents to pick up mail promptly and report suspicious activity.
The USPIS says it’s investing in investigative resources and recovery programs but Labor and Security groups say they want clearer commitments and faster deployment.
For residents, commonsense precautions still help: retrieve mail promptly, use lockable mailbox options when available, opt for informed-delivery alerts, request hold-mail when traveling, and report missing mail immediately.
If you see someone in a uniform behaving oddly—especially around cluster boxes or loading docks—call law enforcement rather than confronting them yourself.
The rate of mail theft is more than a string of petty crimes; it’s a reminder that criminal enterprises adapt to opportunity.
As the Postal Service navigates its busiest months, the message from postal police is straightforward and urgent: when thieves become bolder, communities, carriers and lawmakers need to step up, fast.
Otherwise, our usual holiday hustle may end up as a season of theft and long-term consequences for the millions who rely on the mail for paychecks, prescriptions and identity-sensitive documents.
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#MailTheftSurge #HighVolumeHeists #PostalPolice #FrankAlbergo #USPS #USPIS #FBIReward #BeverlyBlvdRaid #TajmirWyles #EricksonOstilien #ClusterBoxSecurity #IdentityTheftRisk #MailCarrierSafety #PickUpYourMail #StopMailTheft
Sources summary (brief): Data from the Postal Police Officers Association shared with Eyewitness News showing 52,000 high-volume mail attacks in government FY2024 (up from ~2,000 in 2010); viral video of Beverly Boulevard mail office theft and subsequent $100,000 FBI reward; quotes from Postal Police Officers Association President Frank Albergo; USPIS statement that postal inspectors have arrested 3,000+ people for mail theft in the past two years; U.S. Department of Justice news release on Tajmir Wyles (May 15, 2023 incident, July 2023 arrest, stolen checks and master keys; guilty plea and sentencing exposure); Miami-Dade/South Florida arrest report regarding Erickson Ostilien (possession of USPS uniform, master key, and 88 pieces of stolen mail) and related local reporting.
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