Latomba Bishop, Mail Theft, California 2017

Mail Theft Scandal Rocks Sacramento

In a shocking case of mail theft, three Sacramento residents have been charged with conspiracy to steal mail using fraudulent vacation holds and address changes.

A grand jury brought an eight-count indictment against Latomba Bishop, 32; Joshua Yadon, 33, and Norman Thompson, 36, charging them with conspiracy to obtain mail by fraud, access device fraud, mail fraud, and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, the conspirators used stolen personal identifying information to fraudulently obtain credit cards, checks, and merchandise. To avoid detection, they would often request that the items be mailed to the victims’ real addresses but then filed false vacation holds and change of address forms with the United States Postal Service in order to divert the items into their possession.

This case is the product of an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service with assistance from the Davis Police Department, Sacramento County Probation, and the Woodland Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy J. Kelley is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Thompson and Yadon face a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If convicted of the mail fraud, Bishop faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and if convicted of the aggravated identity theft, she faces a mandatory two-year prison sentence consecutive to any other sentence.

The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

As the investigation continues, the community is left wondering how such a brazen scheme could have gone undetected for so long. The case highlights the need for vigilance in protecting our mail and personal identifying information.

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