AUGUSTA, Georgia: 5/7/26 – Two men have been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to charges including mail theft.
Michael Jermaine Thompson, 24, of North Augusta, South Carolina, was sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and fined $2,000 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Stolen Mail Key and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, said Margaret E. “Meg” Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall previously sentenced Thompson’s co-defendant, Robert Dean Plyler, 23, of Augusta, to a total of 38 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after he pled guilty to Possession of Stolen Mail, Bank Fraud, and Aggravated Identity Theft.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“The security of the U.S. Mail is vital to commerce and communications, and mail theft is a serious matter,” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “These sentences hold both men accountable, and deliver a timely warning that we will diligently pursue those who would violate the mail system.”
As described in court records and testimony, North Augusta police officers were alerted in December 2024 that two men were seen opening a mail “blue box” outside the Georgia Avenue post office and placing the mail in the trunk of their car. As officers were enroute they saw a vehicle matching the description and attempted a traffic stop. The vehicle sped into Georgia and eventually crashed during the pursuit, and Thompson and Plyler were taken into custody.
Investigators from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office recovered a pistol and a large amount of mail from the vehicle. Personnel at the Richmond County jail also found a U.S. Postal Service key in Thompson’s possession.
A total of 131 pieces of mail were recovered, representing 29 victims. The investigation also discovered that Plyler had opened a bank account in his name and had been depositing checks taken from mail thefts into the account. Judge Hall ordered Plyler to pay restitution of $1,157.
“This sentencing is a statement that mail theft will not be tolerated, and the perpetrators will be brought to justice,” said Rodney M. Hopkins, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Atlanta Division. “The Postal Inspection Service will continue to partner with other law enforcement agencies to collectively pursue criminals who victimize postal customers.”
“Stealing from the U.S. Mail is not a victimless crime – it disrupts lives, compromises financial security, and erodes trust in a system Americans rely on every day,” said Matt Ploskunak, Senior Supervisory Resident Agent of FBI Atlanta’s Augusta office. “These defendants not only targeted that system, but one of them did so while unlawfully possessing a firearm, compounding the threat to the community. The FBI will continue to work with our partners to aggressively pursue those who exploit the mail for personal gain and hold them accountable under federal law.”
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the FBI, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and the North Augusta Office of Public Safety. The case was prosecuted for the United States of America Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey L. Scanlon.
