The safety and security of mail delivery are paramount to community function, and recent sentencings in Ft. Pierce, Florida, underscore the justice system’s commitment to protecting postal workers and the integrity of mail service. Two men responsible for a series of armed robberies targeting U.S. Postal Service (USPS) letter carriers for their crucial postal keys have been sentenced to federal prison by U.S. District Court Judge K. Michael Moore in Ft. Pierce. These keys are essential for accessing mail collection boxes, and their theft disrupts mail service and compromises community trust.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida emphasized the gravity of these crimes, stating, “The defendants brazenly terrorized loyal public servants, U.S. Postal Service letter carriers working in Florida, at gunpoint for their postal keys with the intent to steal mail from collection boxes. Their sentencing shows that the safety of U.S. Postal Service employees is of the utmost importance.” He further highlighted the broader impact: “Armed assaults on letter carriers negatively impact our entire community, which relies on the U.S. Postal Service for the safe delivery of the mail.” This sentiment was echoed by Juan A. Vargas, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Miami Division, who affirmed, “The prison sentences handed down to these defendants should serve as a reminder that violent acts committed against U.S. Postal Service employees providing service to the community will not be tolerated.”
The sentencings are a significant step in addressing a concerning trend of robberies targeting USPS letter carriers, ensuring the continuation of reliable mail service in areas like Ft. Pierce and beyond.
Bernard Jerome Davis III, 20, of Port St. Lucie, received a substantial sentence of 192 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. This followed his guilty plea to multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, armed Postal/U.S. property robbery, brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, attempted Hobbs Act robbery, and Hobbs Act robbery. Jalen Dennis Elliott, 19, also of Port St. Lucie, was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment, with 2 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and Hobbs Act robbery. The third individual involved, Jamal Travon Brown Weathers, 23, of Fort Pierce, has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing scheduled for October 24 in Ft. Pierce.
Court records detail a series of alarming incidents between November 2022 and October 2023, where Brown Weathers, Davis, and Elliott targeted at least six USPS letter carriers across St. Lucie, Brevard, Orange, and Miami-Dade counties in Florida. These robberies were not isolated incidents but part of a pattern that threatened the consistent delivery of mail service and the safety of postal employees.
One particularly disturbing incident occurred on November 19, 2022, in Port St. Lucie. A letter carrier was accosted while delivering mail when Brown Weathers demanded her postal keys. The situation escalated quickly as Brown Weathers brandished a semi-automatic handgun, threatening, “Give me the f—— key. You got five seconds to give up the key.” Faced with this imminent danger, the letter carrier surrendered her arrow key. Brown Weathers then fled in a vehicle driven by Davis. This vehicle, belonging to Brown Weathers’ mother, was later pursued in Fort Pierce, and a firearm used in the robbery was recovered.
Postal arrow keys are critical tools for USPS letter carriers, allowing them to access mail receptacles and ensure efficient mail collection and delivery within their designated routes. These keys are strictly controlled and authorized for official USPS use only. The theft of these keys not only disrupts mail service but also creates opportunities for wider mail theft and potential fraud, impacting the reliability of mail service for entire communities.
The robberies extended beyond St. Lucie County. On May 12, 2023, Brown Weathers and Davis robbed two letter carriers in separate incidents within the Middle District of Florida. In Melbourne, Davis, armed with a black firearm, demanded a letter carrier’s arrow key before fleeing in a rented Nissan Altima. Later that day in Orlando, Brown Weathers, again brandishing a black firearm, accosted another letter carrier, grabbing his shirt and demanding the arrow key before escaping in the same Nissan Altima driven by Davis.
Further attempts to disrupt mail service in Ft. Pierce occurred on August 1, 2023, when Davis, carrying a semi-automatic firearm, followed a letter carrier in a white Pontiac Grand Prix. The letter carrier, sensing danger, managed to evade robbery by driving away and calling 911. The same vehicle then pursued another letter carrier, who also contacted emergency services. On October 11, 2023, in Ft. Pierce, Davis successfully robbed another letter carrier at gunpoint, taking their postal arrow key. The final incident detailed in court records took place on October 21, 2023, in Miami Beach. Davis confronted a letter carrier, demanding keys and forcibly ripping them from her hand, causing injury, before fleeing in a BMW SUV driven by Elliott.
The successful apprehension and sentencing of these individuals are the result of collaborative efforts between multiple law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Miami Beach Police Department, St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Pierce Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. The Port St. Lucie Police Department also provided valuable assistance.
This case is a direct outcome of Project Safe Delivery (PSD), a joint initiative launched by the U.S. Postal Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service in May 2023. PSD is a proactive response to increasing threats and attacks on letter carriers and rising mail theft incidents. The initiative aims to safeguard postal employees, protect the mail stream, and prevent future incidents through enhanced security measures, public awareness, and robust law enforcement. Since its inception, Project Safe Delivery has yielded significant results. As of June 30, 2024, over 287 individuals have been arrested for postal-related robberies. In the first six months of the fiscal year, arrests for postal robberies increased by 72% compared to the previous year, while the number of postal robberies decreased by 21%, and mail theft complaints dropped by 35%. These statistics suggest that Project Safe Delivery is effectively enhancing the security of mail service and reducing crimes against postal workers.
The USPS encourages customers to actively participate in maintaining secure mail service by promptly reporting any instances of mail theft. Reports can be submitted online to the Postal Inspection Service at www.uspis.gov/report or by calling 877-876-2455. The Postal Inspection Service also offers monetary rewards for information leading to the arrest of individuals involved in assaults, robberies, or attempted robberies of postal employees. Furthermore, any suspicions of Postal Service employee misconduct, including bribery attempts, should be reported to the USPS OIG at 1-888-877-7644 or www.uspsoig.gov.
The sentencings in Ft. Pierce serve as a strong deterrent against future attacks on USPS letter carriers and reinforce the commitment to ensuring the safety of postal employees and the reliability of mail service across all communities. For further details on this case, related court documents are available on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-cr-14053.
