My mail was evidence in a criminal case!!!

[cui bono]

I just opened some mail from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and they sent me some mail from September that was used as evidence in a case against someone who was arrested for stealing it!

The suspect was charged and prosecuted with numerous crimes. During the investigation numerous items were recovered, including mail, checks, cards, identifications and other documents. The items were believed to have been obtained via mail theft.

I have a locking mailbox but it had been forced open one day. I remember coming home and seeing it hanging open and the advertising mailings strewn about. I get most of my mail at a mailbox for a couple reasons so no financial statements come to my house so I wasn't too worried.

But even though mine got forced open, if you don't have a locking mailbox you might want to get one!

[Walk away]

1. That's terrible! I used to live in a neighborhood where the corner mailbox...

used to get broken into or burned on a weekly basis. My mail is safe in this town so it's not a problem but I remember having to get a P.O. Box.

[cui bono]

2. It was so weird to open the envelope and see my own mail.

And then to read about it.

I always drop outgoing mail at my mailbox place or the P.O. or at work when I'm on a job. Unless it's wrong address type mail I'm sending back out.

[msanthrope]

3. Run a credit check, just to be safe. nt

[cui bono]

4. I actually just happened to look at my credit reports last night, no bad news.

They had a DWP bill and some junk mail. Oh and a form from Evironment CA to continue my monthly donation with no credit card info on it.

My important mail goes to a mailbox center.

[msanthrope]

5. Monitor it again in six months, and if you notice anything hinky, you

can report it to the Postal Inspectors. They do not screw around. In my dealings with them, I've found them to be more competent than the FBI, more ruthless than the DEA.

[TeeYiYi]

7. I like this post. ..nt

TYY

[brewens]

6. I had a package stolen a couple years ago. I live in a fourplex and knew it had to have been

one of the punks that comes and goes from one neighbors apartment in particular.

It had to basically be an inside job and I let it be known I knew it. Whoever it was grabbed it thinking I might believe it could be anyone from the neighborhood. Bullshit! Anyone from the neighborhood seeing a package being delivered wouldn't see that it was left in my stairwell from a ways away. At least not very easily, I have one of the lower apartments. It would much more likely be someone else that was home in the fourplex at the time, ether seeing the drop, or seeing the package sitting there.

Then just anyone around the neighborhood wouldn't know for sure who might see them dash across the street and grab it. They have no idea who is home or not and it had to be daylight because it was gone before I got home. I let it be known that I knew it was one of my neighbors or that one of them at least knew who took it and if I figured it out, there would be a problem!

That scared they neighbor in question and it magically reappeared at my back door. My mail carrier verified that she did not leave it back there since I had never gone out there for a few days. It was about $100 worth of cigars btw.

I made a smart move that revealed the culprit. I never told anyone I got the package back and told my mail carrier not to mention it either. Talking about it with a neighbor, he let it slip that he knew someone gave it back! I jumped all over his ass but it wasn't him it turned out, he just knew about it. It was the other neighbors kid that comes and goes. When I applied a little heat, he had gotten it out of his kids girlfriend that he stole it and demanded that he go get it and bring it back immediately. He didn't like cigars anyway and they even did a remarkable job of resealing it with packing tape.

So it turned out the one neighbor did the right thing I suppose. I can't really blame him for handling it in a way that didn't get his kid busted for mail theft. I was a little unhappy with the other guy not telling me about what went on but then I can't really blame a guy for not being a rat. I did get it back after all.