3 Fort Worth Thugs Steal USPS Arrow Key, Face 25 Years

Three Fort Worth men are facing up to 25 years in prison for stealing a USPS Arrow Key, a master key used to access mailboxes, in a brazen heist that stunned the community.

According to federal court documents, Cedrick Eugene Mims, 35, Danny Yogi Oriszul Powell, 30, and Cameron Kemond Gist, 29, pleaded guilty to robbing a U.S. letter carrier in Fort Worth on October 24, 2023.

The men, all from Fort Worth, were caught after a lengthy investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Fort Worth Police Department.

Court documents reveal that Mims pointed a 39mm pistol at the carrier and demanded ‘the key,’ a reference to the Arrow Key, a prized possession for mail thieves.

The men also stole a postal scanner and the keys to the letter carrier’s official vehicle. Powell drove the getaway car, while Gist provided the firearms, according to plea papers.

The U.S. Postal Service’s Arrow Key is a highly sought-after treasure for mail thieves, as it allows them to access mail deposited in blue collection boxes.

The men are set to be sentenced in federal court, with Mims and Gist facing up to 25 years in prison due to the dangerous weapon enhancement, while Powell faces up to 10 years.

The case is part of Project Safe Delivery (PSD), a joint U.S. Postal Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service initiative aimed at countering postal crime and safeguarding postal employees.

PSD was launched in May 2023 in response to a rise in threats and attacks on letter carriers and mail theft incidents. Since its launch, postal inspectors have arrested over 213 individuals for postal-related robberies, a 72% increase in the first six months of the fiscal year.

The PSD approach has led to a 21% drop in postal-related robberies and a 35% decrease in mail theft complaints, suggesting the initiative is achieving its intended result.