7/3/24 – A Houston-area man was sentenced to nearly 8 years in federal prison this week for repeatedly stealing checks and other mail from post-office collection boxes, which he accessed using a special key meant for United States Postal Service employees, court records show.
Daruin Anelby Rosario, 28, pleaded guilty in March to possession of stolen mail, unlawful possession of a postal key and aggravated identity theft, having used the stolen mail for fraudulent purposes, according to court documents. In addition to being sentenced to 95 months in prison by Judge David Hittner, Rosario also was given three years of supervised release and ordered to pay more than $7,500 in restitution.
Rosario already was on supervised release at the time of his arrest last October, having pleaded guilty in 2022 to possession of stolen mail and conspiracy to steal and possess stolen mail. Officers searching Rosario’s home last fall found nearly 800 pieces of mail, approximately 1,400 checks and 12 postal keys or arrow keys, according to court documents, which show that Rosario admitted to selling checks he had collected.
“An arrow key is a highly sought-after tool that criminals use to open USPS mail receptacles to steal mail to conduct other crimes primarily related to financial crimes and identity theft,” federal prosecutors wrote in documents filed in the case. Read more at Houston Public Media. PEN’s original coverage is below.
HOUSTON 11/09/20 – A 24-year-old resident of Houston has been arrested on charges of mail theft, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
Daruin Anelby Rosario is set to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina A. Bryan at 2 p.m. today.
On Nov. 5, local authorities conducted a traffic stop which led to a search of Rosario’s vehicle, according to the complaint. Inside, law enforcement allegedly found a large quantity of unopened and opened mail in the names of others.
A subsequent inventory of the mail pieces revealed letters, financial checks as well as an unopened mail-in ballot for the State of Washington, according to the charges. Law enforcement immediately forwarded the ballot to election authorities in Washington.
If convicted, Rosario faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Humble Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Luis Batarse and Kate Suh are prosecuting the case.