BROOKLYN, NY — 3/20/26 -PEN – Following an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the New York Police Department, a federal judge sentenced Andrae Small on March 16, 2026, to seven years in prison for the March 5,2024, robbery of a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier and mail theft in the Crown Heights neighborhood.

In late February 2024, postal inspectors opened an investigation after noticing a pattern of mail thefts in Brooklyn. Postal inspectors linked Small and a vehicle used in each incident, including the March 5 robbery, in which Small brandished a knife at the letter carrier and stole several bundles of mail. Small had previously been arrested for mail theft in Allentown, PA, in July 2023.

On July 3, 2024, Small was arrested following the execution of a federal search warrant at his residence in the New Lots neighborhood. Small admitted he used stolen identification cards to open bank accounts, using those accounts to negotiate checks. He also admitted operating a Telegram channel to correspond with others for stolen checks and personally identifiable information. In total, the value of the checks posted on Small’s Telegram channel was estimated at more than $2.5 million.

Small pleaded guilty on August 26, 2025, to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. His sentence under the charges of conspiracy to commit bank or wire fraud and mail theft also included four years of probation.

“As a primary focus of our mission, postal inspectors are determined to keep postal employees safe and the mail secure,” said Ketty Larco-Ward, inspector in charge of the New York Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “I commend our postal inspectors, in collaboration with detectives from the New York Police Department Financial Crimes Task Force, in tracking down this individual and putting a stop to his wave of financial crimes. We are pleased justice was served to keep this prolific mail thief off the streets and postal carriers safe while serving Brooklyn communities.”