Tallahassee, Florida –11/4/26 – Christy Cody Holgate, 49, and Kim Demetrius Benson, 53, both of Tallahassee, Florida, have been sentenced in federal court after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit mail theft, and multiple counts of mail theft. Holgate was sentenced to over three and a half years in federal prison. Benson was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. The sentences were announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “These defendants sought to enrich themselves by stealing the mail, but now they’ll see the inside of a federal prison cell. My office is committed to aggressively prosecuting anyone who tampers with, steals, or diverts the U.S. Mail to ensure our citizens can continue to rely upon the U.S. Postal Service to quickly, safely, and securely deliver the mail.”

Court documents reflect that between August 5, 2025, and December 5, 2025, the defendants broke into multiple apartment complex mailboxes through use of United States Postal Service (USPS) mail key that permitted access to the mail of complex residents. Through investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Tallahassee Police Department documented multiple thefts of hundreds of pieces of mail. They also obtained video surveillance which captured the break-ins. Upon their arrest in December 2025, the two were found in a vehicle containing bags of stolen mail items along with stolen debit and credit cards, as well as a USPS mail key. Together, the defendants conspired to steal U.S. Mail, which, according to a confession by Holgate, was then sold to another individual for money to purchase illegal drugs.

This case was jointly investigated by the Tallahassee Police Department and the United States Postal Inspection Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric K. Mountin.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.