A postal supervisor with the United States Postal Service was arrested for stealing merchandise that was ordered from online stores and shipped through the mail. The defendant was sentenced to three years in federal prison for stealing over $150,000 in merchandise. One of the ways the defendant was tracked was through pawn shops in Florida and Georgia where the defendant sold the stolen merchandise. When a person pawns an item at a pawn shop, the pawn shop will keep identifying information about the person such as a picture, signature and fingerprint card.
Normally, the theft of store merchandise and most other items will be a crime charged in state court. However, the theft of mail comes under the jurisdiction of the federal government and will be prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office. Therefore, a person charged with a mail theft charge will face an entirely different criminal system with a different way of determining a proper sentence, if convicted. While this case involved more than $150,000, theft of any mail can still be a federal crime. When a defendant is charged with a federal crime in federal court, the rules are quite different from the majority of cases that end up in state court. When charged with any federal crime, it is important to seek the advice and counsel of criminal defense lawyers who are familiar with the different system and rules involved in the federal system.
if you have been arrested for a federal crime and would like to know your rights in the federal system, feel free to contact us for a free consultation.