Taylor and Northville residents were terrorized by armed robbers who targeted U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mail carriers.
Between September and October 2023, Michael Lamar Smith-Ellis, 31, of Detroit, and Terrance Tucker, 33, of Phoenix, Arizona, robbed mail carriers at gunpoint in Taylor and Northville, Michigan, demanding their ‘arow keys’ or USPS master keys.
The defendants’ brazen crimes were brought to an end when law enforcement arrested them within minutes after the armed robbery of a mail carrier in Northville.
A search of the vehicle driven by the defendants revealed firearms, gear, several credit cards in other people’s names, along with a USPS key ring and an ‘arrow key.’
U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. announced the sentencing of Smith-Ellis and Tucker, each to 7 years in federal prison, by United States District Judge Nancy G. Edmund.
‘We all know the commitment of postal carriers to deliver the mail no matter the conditions. And we are committed to protecting them as they do their job,’ said U.S. Attorney Gorgon.
‘These violent criminals deserve a serious sentence.’
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) investigated the case with assistance provided by Taylor, Northville, and Livonia police departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nhan Ho prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Related Federal Cases
- Fernandez, Violent Robbery, Pennsylvania 2023 · New York
- Michael Payne, Embezzlement, California 2020 · New York
- Austin Smith, Embezzlement Scheme, California 2022 · New York
- James W. Clark, Making a Threatening Interstate Communication, Arizona 2021 · Massachusetts
- Joshua Cobb, Transmitting Threat, New Jersey 2024 · California
Key Facts
- State: Michigan
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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