10/29/24 – The men responsible for eight mail carrier robberies were sentenced today to a combined 21 years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Jerrad Coleman, 18, and Louis Dixon, 18, were charged via criminal complaint in April. Mr. Dixon pleaded guilty in June to robbery of property of the United States and conspiracy to rob and unlawfully possess property of the United States, while Mr. Coleman pleaded guilty to the same charges the following month.
The pair were sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, who noted that the U.S. Postal Service is critical to the functioning of our country and called their crime a “heinous offense.” Mr. Coleman was sentenced to 60 months on count one and 91 months on count two to run consecutively, for a combined 151 months (12 ½ years) in federal prison; Mr. Dixon was sentenced to 60 months on count one and 108 months on count two to run concurrently for a total of 108 months (9 years) in federal prison.
“Violence against letter carriers not only puts federal workers in fear for their lives, but also undermines the functioning of the U.S. postal system,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to aggressively pursue and prosecute individuals that endanger our Postal colleagues and the system as a whole.”
“Today’s sentencing serves as a notice to those who wish to commit violent acts against U.S. Postal Service employees that the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, along with our law enforcement partners, are committed to finding those responsible and bringing justice to the victims. U.S. Postal Service employees are delivering across America and deserve to work in their communities free from danger,” said Kai Pickens, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Fort Worth Division.
According to court documents, the men trawled the streets of DFW looking for U.S. Postal Service letter carriers to rob in hopes of obtaining an Arrow Key, a master key used by letter carriers to gather mail deposited in blue collection boxes. Unauthorized possession of these keys, prized by mail thieves, allows individuals to illicitly access mailboxes to steal victim mail, checks, credit cards, bank account information, and other sensitive information.
Over the course of about four months, the men conspired to commit robberies against U.S. Postal Service Letter Carriers, including those on Jan. 17 in Fort Worth, Jan. 18 in Fort Worth, Jan. 25 in Dallas, Jan. 29 in Dallas, March 15 in Fort Worth, March 28 in Arlington, April 4 in Frisco, and April 17 in Fort Worth.
After robbing the mail carriers, often at gunpoint, the men fled in getaway vehicles. They then unlawfully used, sold, or disposed of the Arrow Keys.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation with the help of the Arlington, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Frisco Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Levi Thomas prosecuted the case.
