Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal jury has filed an indictment alleging four defendants stealing mail and illegally possessing postal keys. The indictment was returned on July 21, 2022, and today, after the arrest of the accused, it was unsealed. The defendants in the indictment are:
Eyalan Owona, 21, from Upper Malboro, Maryland;
Ibrahim Kourouma, 22, of Glenarden, Maryland
Ali Dickerson, 20, of Hyattsville, Maryland; and
Benjamin Washington, 22, of Owings Mills, Maryland
Owona, Dickerson and Washington will be performing today from 1.30pm at the US District Court in Greenbelt in front of Magistrate Timothy J. Sullivan. Co-accused Kourouma remains a fugitive.
The indictment was issued by Maryland District Attorney Erek L. Barron and Acting Postal Inspector Tira Hayward of the US Postal Inspection Service – Washington Division.
According to the indictment on two counts, on May 25, 2022, the defendants allegedly unlawfully held United States Postal Service reserved keys with the intent to use, sell, and dispose of the keys. On the same day, the defendants allegedly stole a mail from the United States Postal Service custodian for the post office located on Stanford Street in Bethesda, Maryland. The mail stolen during the theft contained Victim 1’s mail with the recipient’s address in Silver Spring, Maryland.
As stated in the arrest memo filed on behalf of the government, the arrests of the accused took place as part of a larger law enforcement investigation into a series of violent armed attacks against United States Postal Carriers (“USPS”). During these robberies, it appears that the postmen were the target of proprietary keys that are used to open USPS mailboxes. According to the detention note, between May 23, 2022 and July 7, 2022, there were at least 13 robberies involving USPS letter carriers in the Washington metropolitan area.
If convicted on current charges, defendants face up to 10 years in federal prison for possession of United States Postal Service keys and 5 years in federal prison for theft of mail. Actual convictions for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine each judgment taking into account US sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
The indictment is not a declaration of guilt. The person accused of the indictment is presumed innocent, unless and until proven guilty in subsequent criminal proceedings.
If you have any information regarding the robbery of a United States Postal Service postman or would like to report mail theft or other crimes committed through or against the United States Postal Service, contact the United States Postal Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455 or https: //www.uspis.gov/report. The United States Postal Inspection Service is offering a reward of up to $ 50,000 for information that leads to the identification, arrest and conviction of any other person involved in attacks against United States Postal Service letter carriers.
US attorney Erek L. Barron commended the USPIS for their work in the investigation and thanked the Montgomery County Police Department and the US Park Police for their assistance in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked US Assistant Attorneys Adam K. Ake and Darren Gardner who are handling the case.
For more information on the Maryland Attorney’s Office, its priorities and resources available to help the community, visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.