Petal Woman Cops to Stealing Mail, Gets 12 Months

A Petal woman has been locked up for a year after admitting she stole mail not meant for her. Angelia Dawn Sanford, 36, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett to 12 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for theft or receipt of stolen mail matter. The ruling came after a hard trail of evidence uncovered during a 2017 search of her home.

The bust went down on April 3, 2017, when the Forrest County Sheriff’s Office raided the Petal residence she shared with co-defendant Booker Tallieferro Hilton. Acting on a search warrant, investigators found multiple pieces of mail belonging to people who had nothing to do with Sanford or Hilton. The letters and packages weren’t just misplaced—they were ripped from mailboxes, taken, and hoarded inside the home.

U.S. Postal Inspection Service was called in and confirmed the mail had been stolen. Both Sanford and Hilton admitted they’d been stealing mail, likely hunting for cash, checks, personal data, or anything of value. Their confessions sealed the case, turning what could’ve been a heist with hidden players into a straight-up admission of guilt.

A federal grand jury formally indicted Sanford and Hilton on July 24, 2019. Sanford pleaded guilty on May 12, 2020, showing no resistance to the charges. Hilton followed suit on June 17, 2020, and is set for sentencing on September 24, 2020, at 11:15 a.m. before Judge Starrett in Hattiesburg. Each faces a maximum of five years behind bars and a $250,000 fine.

Sanford isn’t walking free even after her prison term. She’s been ordered to pay full restitution to one of the victims hit by her crime, plus a $1,000 fine straight to the government. The message is clear: stealing mail isn’t a victimless prank—it’s a federal offense with teeth.

The investigation was a joint grind by the Forrest County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jones handled the prosecution, pushing the case through to conviction. U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Inspector in Charge Chris Cave of the Postal Service’s Southern Area Field Office confirmed the outcome, underscoring ongoing efforts to crack down on postal theft across Mississippi.