ORLANDO, Fla. – A man in Orlando is facing federal charges in connection with the March attack of an Orlando postal worker and several subsequent mail thefts.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service said Tarick Jean Charles was involved in a conspiracy to steal a special key from a postal worker, then recruit others to steal mail, alter stolen checks, and deposit them into bank accounts at branches around town.
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Two men attacked a mail carrier on March 7 at Oak Grove Apartments in the Millenia area of Orlando, according to police.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service said the suspects demanded the carrier’s arrow key, a special key that gives postal workers access to mailboxes for a certain geographical area. The carrier was seriously injured in the attack.
The criminal complaint reveals a wider conspiracy to use the stolen key to steal mail from four nearby apartment and condo complexes:
- West Winds Apartments on Eastwinds Drive
- Summergate Condominiums on Cypress Woods Drive
- Rosemont Windermere Apartments on Conroy Road
- Bella Capri Apartments on Cason Cove Drive
People with bank accounts were recruited to cash altered stolen checks at several Regions Banks branch locations.
According to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, one of the people involved in the conspiracy to rob the mail carrier and steal mail was later killed in an officer-involved shooting in Osceola County in April.
Jean Charles was identified through surveillance video and social media, according to the postal inspection service, as well as fingerprints on one of the checks.
There were also several mail thefts between July and September at a business park, where inspectors say they identified Jean Charles in surveillance video.
Inspectors are also trying to link the October robberies of two other mail carriers to this case.
Jean Charles was arrested Oct. 21 on charges of conspiracy to steal a postal service key and conspiracy to commit mail theft. On Oct. 26, a judge agreed there was sufficient probable cause to proceed with the case and denied Jean Charles bond.
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