Two Florida men have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a series of armed robberies targeting U.S. Postal Service letter carriers. The men, Bernard Jerome Davis III, 20, and Jalen Dennis Elliott, 19, both of Port St. Lucie, terrorized mail carriers across multiple Florida counties to steal their postal keys and gain access to mail.
Davis received a 192-month sentence after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit robbery, armed robbery, brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and attempted robbery. Elliott received a 30-month sentence for conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery.
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A third defendant, Jamal Travon Brown Weathers, 23, of Fort Pierce, has also pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing on October 24th.
Brazen Attacks on Postal Workers
Between November 2022 and October 2023, the defendants robbed at least six USPS letter carriers in St. Lucie, Brevard, Orange, and Miami-Dade counties. The robberies involved threats, physical violence, and the brandishing of firearms. In one instance, a letter carrier in Port St. Lucie was physically assaulted and threatened with a gun before surrendering her postal key.
These brazen attacks not only endangered the lives of postal workers but also disrupted mail service and impacted the community’s trust in the U.S. Postal Service.
Authorities Vow to Protect Postal Employees
“The defendants brazenly terrorized loyal public servants, U.S. Postal Service letter carriers working in Florida, at gunpoint for their postal keys with the intent to steal mail from collection boxes. Their sentencing shows that the safety of U.S. Postal Service employees is of the utmost importance,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “Armed assaults on letter carriers negatively impact our entire community, which relies on the U.S. Postal Service for the safe delivery of the mail.”
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“The prison sentences handed down to these defendants should serve as a reminder that violent acts committed against U.S. Postal Service employees providing service to the community will not be tolerated and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, along with our law enforcement partners, will ensure that those committing these acts will be pursued and justly punished for their crimes,” said Juan A. Vargas, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Miami Division.
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