A Chicago man was sentenced to prison after surveillance footage showed him breaking into buildings and stealing mail

CHICAGO – A. Chicago The man was sentenced to seven years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for his role in a series of burglaries and identity theft that spanned several years.

Jonathan Minter, 38, pleaded guilty to theft charges on Monday.

The case stems from a series of incidents between September 2023 and February 2024 in which Minter gained illegal access to residential mailboxes in apartments and apartments using fake mail keys. Chicago.

Investigators linked Minter to approximately 20 burglaries and identity theft.

Joint Investigation Led to Arrests

Minter was first arrested on September 28, 2023, following a joint investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Chicago Police Department. Authorities also arrested Andrew Kirkpatrick, 31, of Champaign, Illinois, and identified both men as suspects in multiple apartment burglaries, mail thefts and subsequent identity thefts in 2022 and 2023.

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Following this arrest, Minter faced five felony theft charges in Chicago.

A second arrest occurred on October 23, 2023, after Minter was accused of illegally entering at least seven residences and stealing items. These incidents occurred at apartment complexes in several neighborhoods, including Peterson Park, Andersonville, Old Norwood Park, Edgewater, Lake View and the South Loop.

Specific theft dates and locations include:

• April 3: 5900 block of North Lincoln Avenue (Peterson Park)

• 9 April: 5800 block of North Clark Street (Andersonville)

• 15-16 April: 110 block of West Ardmore Boulevard (Old Norwood Park)

• April 16: 5600 block North Broadway (Edgewater)

• April 17: 5700 block of North Winthrop Avenue (Edgewater)

• 7 September: 3800 block of North Fremont Street (Lake View)

• 28 September: 1800 block South Michigan Avenue (South Loop)

In that case, Minter faced seven additional felony theft charges.

Final Arrest and Sentencing

Minter’s third arrest occurred on Feb. 13, 2024, at the Homewood Suites Hotel in River North during another joint investigation involving the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Chicago Police Department. He was charged with three counts of felony burglary and four counts of felony identity theft.

At the time of his arrest in February, Minter had evaded pretrial release on previous charges and was facing more than a dozen arrest warrants for failure to appear.

“We are happy to see justice served for the victims. Mr. Minter was recently sentenced to less than 10 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for burglary and identity theft in the Chicagoland area,” said Postal Inspector Spencer Block. Office of Public Information.

Minter will receive credit for time served.

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Protection of Postal Service Workers

The U.S. Postal Service and Postal Inspection Service have said combating mail theft and violent crimes against postal workers is a top priority. In response to the increase in these crimes, they launched Project Safe Delivery in May 2023.

The initiative takes a comprehensive approach to protecting postal workers and the postal system, focusing on preventing incidents through education and awareness while enforcing laws that protect the nation’s mail flow.

“Since May 2023, when the Secure Delivery project began, we as an agency have had over 2,000 mail theft and robbery arrests nationwide, that’s over a year and a half. I can tell you I’ve heard of it in Chicago. Geographically, Illinois and The part that’s made up of the counties of Wisconsin and then split into part of Missouri, in fiscal year 2023, I think we’ve had over 130 letter carrier robberies in fiscal year ’24. There is a 75% reduction,” Block said.

To learn more about protecting your mail and packages, visit: https://www.uspis.gov/.