Tacoma – 10/05/26 – Three residents of the South Sound region have now been sentenced to federal prison for their post office burglary scheme, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Paula Jean Gamboa, 38 of Federal Way, Washington, was the last of three defendants sentenced today to 18 months in prison. Burglary ringleader Justin Tate, 37, of Tacoma, was sentenced in April 2026 to 50 months in prison and Gregory Foster, 60, of Port Orchard, Washington, was sentenced in May 2026 to two years in prison.  The three were indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2025.

U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle noted that crimes related to identity and mail theft are “tremendously disruptive to people’s lives,”

while also reflecting on the emotional harm suffered by victims. He ordered each of the defendants be on supervised release for three years following prison. Tate was ordered to pay $10,785 in restitution.

According to records in the case, Tate led the burglary crew that targeted post offices in the Puget Sound region. The break-ins spanned Kitsap, Thurston, Pierce, King, and Island Counties. The thieves kept cash and other valuables from the stolen mail. Tate went on to use identity and financial documents obtained from victims’ mail to commit bank fraud. The specific burglaries are these:

• July 4, 2024, Tate and Foster break into the Olalla Post Office wearing face masks to obscure their identities.
• July 8, 2024, Tate and Foster attempt to enter the restricted area of the Littlerock Post Office – they disconnect the security camera but cannot breach a metal shutter into the restricted area.
• July 9, 2024, Tate and Gamboa enter the Fox Island Post Office and steal mail from various post office boxes.
• July 15, 2024, Foster breaks a window and enters the Anderson Island Contract Post Office and steal $3,000 in stamps, $100 in cash and about 100 postal money orders.
• July 24, 2024, Tate enters the Vashon Island Post Office and steals mail from multiple post office boxes.
• July 27, 2024, Tate and Foster force their way through the back door of the Snoqualmie Post Office and steal mail.
• July 30, 2024, Tate and Gamboa steal mail from boxes inside the Preston Post Office.
• July 31, 2024, Tate and Gamboa break into the Clinton Post Office on Whidbey Island and steal mail from post boxes and from a mail drop box.

Ringleader Justin Tate pleaded guilty to conspiracy and two counts of bank fraud. Tate opened a bank account in the name of one of the victims and then transferred or attempted to transfer more than $3,500 for his own use. He attempted to deposit more than $13,000 in fraudulent checks. Tate also ran up $7,200 in point-of-sale charges with a stolen debit card. Tate and Gamboa would go to area casinos after the burglaries to launder the stolen funds.

Gamboa was the last to be sentenced because she repeatedly fled pretrial supervision and custody. In asking for a 21-month sentence, prosecutors wrote to the court, “Gamboa’s crimes were carried out with little regard not only for the United States property they destroyed, but for the victims whose privacy was violated through these illegal activities. Arms full of mail representing hundreds of Washington citizens were swept up, to be opened and rifled through later – all so Gamboa and her co-conspirators could pocket their contents. Bank cards, checks, registrations, social security documents were taken and used by the defendants.”

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Victoria Cantore.