Florida Man Nabbed for Post Office Heist & Van Theft

BRIDGEPORT, CT – Leon Clinedinst, 37, formerly of Ocala, Florida, has admitted to a brazen crime spree that stretched from a New York City hospital to a Connecticut post office. Clinedinst pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to one count of burglary of a U.S. Post Office and one count of interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle. The case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Chen, paints a picture of a man spiraling out of control.

The trouble began on the morning of January 25, 2020. Freshly discharged from Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, Clinedinst didn’t bother with a taxi or train. Instead, he simply took a hospital van. Court documents reveal he pilfered the vehicle from the Mount Sinai garage, immediately setting a course for Connecticut.

His destination? The U.S. Post Office at 317 West Avenue in Stamford. But Clinedinst didn’t arrive to mail a letter. He bypassed legal entry, squeezing through a mail chute to gain access to the locked building. It wasn’t a subtle entry. The forced access immediately triggered the security alarm, summoning law enforcement.

Stamford police arrived to find Clinedinst exiting the post office with a loaded, large rolling bin brimming with stolen, unopened packages. A search of his person yielded several keys belonging to the post office itself – suggesting pre-planning, or at least a willingness to improvise. A further sweep of the interior revealed a second bin packed with pilfered parcels, and significant damage to the video surveillance system, clearly an attempt to cover his tracks.

Clinedinst has been cooling his heels behind bars since his arrest on January 25, 2020. Now, he faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled, leaving his fate in the hands of Judge Bolden. The investigation was a joint effort by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Stamford Police Department, and the New York City Police Department, highlighting the multi-jurisdictional nature of the crime.

This case serves as a stark reminder that even seemingly opportunistic crimes can carry serious federal consequences. For Clinedinst, a hospital check-up quickly devolved into a felony conviction, and a likely lengthy stay in a different kind of institution. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case as sentencing approaches.

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