Related Federal Cases
Princeton Pair Dressed to Steal: Mail Thieves Nabbed with $1 Million in Stolen Goods
EVANSVILLE, Indiana – Michael Jerome Wright, 44, and Cortney Lashea Young, 35, both of Princeton, Indiana, have been charged with a litany of federal crimes, including mail theft, identity theft, and firearms offenses.
According to court documents, Wright and Young’s scheme involved stealing mail from United States Postal Service (USPS) collection boxes in Evansville, Indiana. Between October 2023 and April 2024, investigators observed Wright using an arrow key to open the collection boxes, sort through the mail, and drive off with stolen mail. Young was often seen driving the getaway car.
The stolen mail included checks with a face value of over $1 million. Investigators also found numerous checks and their corresponding envelopes at Wright and Young’s apartment in Princeton, which were reported as stolen from the mail. The couple’s apartment was searched on April 3, 2024, after they were stopped by law enforcement officers and found with an arrow key and stolen mail in their vehicle.
Wright and Young’s firearms offenses include possession of a machinegun, possession of ammunition by a previously convicted felon, and possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon. Wright has sustained multiple felony convictions, including operating a vehicle as a habitual traffic violator, operating a vehicle while intoxicated, dealing in a synthetic drug, and a murder conviction in Cook County, Illinois. Young has sustained a felony conviction for fraud.
The U.S. Secret Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Evansville Police Department investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew B. Miller and Todd S. Shellenbarger are prosecuting the case.
A complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Wright is charged with:
- mail theft
- unlawful possession of a mail key
- access device fraud
- aggravated identity theft
- possession of ammunition by a previously convicted felon
- possession of a machinegun
Young is charged with:
- possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon
Key Facts
- State: Indiana
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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