Men accused of using counterfeit keys to steal from mailboxes

Tue, May 26, 2015 (3:56 p.m.)

Two men accused of using counterfeit keys to steal checks, credit cards, and other information from mailboxes were to be arraigned today before a U.S. magistrate judge, said Daniel G. Bogden, U.S. attorney for the District of Nevada.

John Douglas Gibson, 44, and Juan Carlos Rodriguez, 40, both of Las Vegas, are charged with possession of counterfeit U.S. Postal Service keys, possession of stolen mail, theft of government money, fraud and related activity in connection with access devices, and aggravated identity theft, officials said.

If convicted, they face up to 37 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 on each count, officials said.

“Financial and personal identifying information stolen from the U.S. mail is commonly used to create counterfeit checks and credit cards and to assume the identity of the victims whose mail was stolen,” Bogden said in a news release. “Be aware of any suspicious activity at your mailbox and report it to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service as soon as possible so that investigators can track it.”

According to the criminal complaint filed May 8, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service had been investigating reports of extensive mail theft in the Henderson and Las Vegas areas.

The reports indicated that someone was stealing mail from individual and cluster mailboxes without causing any damage to the mailboxes, officials said.

Investigators determined that between Feb. 1 and May 7, Gibson and Rodriguez allegedly used counterfeit U.S. Postal Service mailbox keys to steal mail from secured mailboxes, officials said.

The criminal indictment specifically charges Gibson and Rodriguez with possessing stolen mail belonging to Henderson resident, stealing U.S. Treasury checks valued at more than $10,000 and fraudulently using Sam’s Club and Lowe’s hardware store credit cards.

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