FORT WORTH, Texas — Three North Texas men have been handed federal prison sentences for their roles in a scheme, involving stolen U.S. Postal Service "arrow keys," after robbing a letter carrier at gunpoint.
Cedrick Eugene Mims, Danny Yogi Oriszul Powell, and Cameron Kemond Gist pleaded guilty earlier this year to the robbery of property of the United States.
Gist was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison. Mims and Powell were sentenced to 75 months and 70 months, respectively.
According to plea papers, the three men robbed a letter carrier, identified in court documents as C.S., in Fort Worth on Oct. 24, 2023.
"These defendants brazenly robbed a U.S.P.S. letter carrier at gunpoint in pursuit of an arrow key that would allow them to steal mail from collection boxes,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton.
According to court documents, Mimms admitted he pointed a 39mm pistol at the carrier and demanded “the key." Authorities say Mimms targeted the carrier's "arrow key, " a master key used to gather mail dropped in blue collection boxes.
“The sentencing of these three individuals shows the utmost importance we place on the safety of U.S. Postal Service employees," said Fort Worth Division Inspector in Charge Kai Pickens.
Powell drove the getaway car and Gist provided the firearms, according to plea papers. The men admitted that they also purloined a postal scanner and the keys to the letter carrier’s vehicle.
Authorities credit the results of this case to Project Safe Delivery. In May 2023, USPS started the campaign as a nationwide effort to crack down on postal crime and crimes against postal workers.
"Let this serve as a reminder to those who harm and traumatize our employees: We will find you and bring you to justice," said Pickens.
