18-year-olds convicted of robbing USPS workers across DFW

DALLAS – Two North Texas men have been sentenced to federal prison for a series of robberies targeting postal workers.

Jerrad Coleman, 18, and Louis Dixon, 18, were arrested in April after police said they were looking for mail carriers to rob in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in hopes of stealing an Arrow Key.

Master keys are used to open blue collection mailboxes. Thieves steal mailed checks, credit cards, bank statements and other personal information to gain easier access.

Over a period of about four months, Coleman and Dixon committed eight robberies involving mail carriers in Fort Worth, Dallas Arlington and Frisco, prosecutors said.

They had at least one Arrow Key on them when they were arrested.

According to Leigha Simonton, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Coleman and Dixon pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit depredation of U.S. property and unlawful taking of U.S. property.

They were sentenced on Tuesday for what the judge described as a “heinous crime”.

“Violence against mail carriers not only puts federal employees in fear for their lives, it also harms the operation of the U.S. postal system,” Simonton said. he said. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to aggressively pursue and prosecute anyone who endangers our Postal employees and the system as a whole.”

“(This) penalty serves as a warning to those who seek to commit violent acts against U.S. Postal Service employees,” added Inspector in Charge Kai Pickens of the Fort Worth Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “U.S. Postal Service workers make deliveries all over America, and they deserve to work out of danger in their own communities.”

Coleman was sentenced to 12.5 years in federal prison, while Dixon was sentenced to 9 years.