Sam Wolo, Mail Theft, Pennsylvania 2021

PHILADELPHIA — Three Philadelphia-area men were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit mail theft, possession of stolen mail, and robbery of a postal carrier.

The indictment alleges that Sam Wolo, 21, Bruno Nyanue, 20, and Gransae Manue, 20, forcibly robbed a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) letter carrier of his Arrow Key, a USPS key used by letter carriers to access USPS blue collection boxes along their routes.

On December 22, 2021, Wolo, Nyanue, and Manue stole the Arrow Key from the USPS letter carrier in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, which they used repeatedly to steal mail from boxes in that area.

As alleged in the indictment, between December 2021 and February 2022, the co-conspirators ‘washed’ and altered checks they stole from the mail that belonged to victims who had mailed checks in Drexel Hill.

The defendants altered the stolen checks to make them payable to third parties, often in amounts greater than the checks’ original value, without the victims’ knowledge or consent.

Approximately 370 stolen checks and nine stolen money orders were recovered from defendant Wolo’s apartment, totaling more than $171,000.

The United States Postal Service provides an essential service to nearly every American, often conveying income, bills and expenses which are the basis of many livelihoods.

U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero stated, ‘If you choose to tamper with or steal U.S. mail for any reason, you can be assured that the federal government will conduct an intensive investigation and aggressive prosecution, as we intend to in this case.’

If convicted, defendant Wolo faces a maximum of 236 years in prison, defendant Nyanue faces a maximum of 64 years in prison, and defendant Manue faces a maximum of 172 years in prison.

Defendants could also face fines of at least $3 million, with defendant Wolo facing a possible fine of up to $8.5 million.

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