Philly Leader

A Philadelphia man has been sentenced to four years in prison for his involvement in a mail theft scheme. Zachkey James, 29, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge R. Barclay Surrick to 48 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. He is also required to forfeit $345,681.68. The charges against James included impersonating a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mail carrier, unlawful possession of USPS Arrow Keys, mail theft, and possession of stolen mail.

James was arrested in November 2022 after being charged by complaint. In April of this year, he pleaded guilty to all charges in a 12-count superseding information. From 2020 until his arrest, James conducted an elaborate scheme to steal over $300,000 from hundreds of victims by dressing as a USPS letter carrier and using stolen Arrow Keys to access blue USPS collection boxes across Philadelphia.

He would sift through the stolen mail for checks and money orders, altering them to be payable to himself and his co-conspirators before cashing or depositing them into controlled accounts. A search of his apartment and vehicle revealed undelivered mail, hundreds of checks and money orders ready for forgery, multiple stolen Arrow Keys, and a USPS uniform.

“These weren’t just pieces of paper that Zachkey James stole,” stated U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero. “These were people’s mortgage and utility payments, their loan payoffs, their child support checks — and for numerous victims, the repercussions of his thefts were devastating."

Christopher Nielsen from the Postal Inspection Service emphasized the importance of protecting the mail from theft: “When someone steals mail, Postal Inspectors will work relentlessly to hold those individuals to account." He thanked the United States Attorney’s Office for their support in prosecuting such cases.

The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Brown.