Austin man pleads guilty in plot to steal mailbox master keys from postal workers
AUSTIN, Texas - An Austin man has pled guilty in federal court for his part in a plot to steal mailbox master keys from U.S. Postal Service letter carriers.
19-year-old Cody Smith pled guilty to one count of robbery of mail matter or other property and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery of mail matter or other property.
He now faces up to 10 years in prison on the robbery charge and up to five years in prison for the conspiracy.
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According to court documents, Smith conspired with five other people in 2023 to target letter carriers and steal their Arrow Keys so they could then open mail boxes in the area.
On Dec. 4, Smith and 19-year-old Samuel Williams, one of his codefendants, wore dark hooded sweatshirts and masks and approached a letter carrier, demanding his assigned Arrow Key. The pair then ripped the key from the letter carrier's belt and ran to a getaway car.
21-year-old codefendants Christian Mosquera and Nicholas Williams assisted in the robbery as driver and lookout and two others, 22-year-old Camren Hamilton and 27-year-old Jonathan Rangel also had roles in the conspiracy.
Mosquera, Nicholas Williams, Hamilton and Rangel have all pleaded guilty and are scheduled for sentencing hearings in September. Smith does not yet have a sentencing date, says the US Attorney's Office.
Samuel Williams was located and arrested in St. Louis on July 30.