James Stephen Dudley, Copper Theft, California 2016

San Diego Man Sentenced for Copper Wire Theft

A San Diego man has been sentenced to 30 months in custody for stealing copper wire from the Midway Post Office. James Stephen Dudley, 40, was found guilty of theft of government property, theft of postal service property, and forcibly breaking into a post office with intent to commit larceny.

According to court records, Dudley had cut the lock on the fence of the Post Office to get inside. He then spent several hours in the Post Office stripping copper wire in the middle of the night. Postal Inspectors saw Dudley drive his vehicle onto Postal property and load approximately 673 pounds of copper wire inside it.

Dudley was arrested but had planned to scrap the copper wire from the Post Office for cash, as he had done on at least five prior occasions during 2015. Dudley pleaded guilty to theft of government property in December 2015.

U.S. District Court Judge Janis L. Sammartino ordered Dudley to pay restitution to the U.S. Postal Service for the full amount of the damage to the Midway Post Office, $123,984.08.

“This office is committed to protecting the integrity of government buildings which ensures the employees who serve the public have a safe place to do their important work,” said U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy.

“Today’s sentence should send a clear message,” said Los Angeles Postal Inspector in Charge Robert Wemyss. “The Postal Inspection Service will not tolerate attacks on our facilities. Postal Inspectors will aggressively investigate these cases and bring the thieves to justice.”

Dudley was sentenced on February 19, 2016, and is currently serving his sentence.

The case number is 15cr2685-JLS.

The charges against Dudley include:

Title 18, United States Code, Section 641 (theft of government property) – Maximum penalty: 10 years in prison; $250,000 fine

Title 18, United States Code, Section 1707 (theft of postal service property) – Maximum penalty: 3 years in prison; $250,000 fine

Title 18, United States Code, Section 2115 (forcibly breaking into a post office with intent to commit larceny) – Maximum penalty: 5 years in prison; $250,000 fine

The agencies involved in the case include the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the San Diego Police Department.

Related Federal Cases