Two men will each serve seven years in prison after being convicted on federal charges of robbing mail carriers at gunpoint in Metro Detroit.
According to the United States Department of Justice, 31-year-old Michael Smith-Ellis of Detroit and 33-year-old Terrance Tucker of Phoenix, Arizona, robbed mail carriers in Taylor and Northville in September and October 2023.
The two men were apprehended within minutes of an armed robbery in Northville.
According to court records, the men wanted USPS workers’ keys, which can be used to open mailboxes.
Guns, many credit cards in other people’s names, and a stolen USPS master key were later seized from the defendants’ car.
U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon, Jr., announced the penalties, which will be served in federal prison, on Monday.
“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 Gorgon said, in a media release. “These violent criminals deserve a serious sentence.”
“The safety of postal employees is a top priority for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the federal law enforcement arm of the U.S. Postal Service,” added Sean McStravick, Acting Inspector in Charge of the Postal Inspection Service’s Detroit Division. “Let this sentence serve as a warning to those who attempt or conspire to harm postal employees for personal gain: we will find you and we will ensure you are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We would also like to thank our local law enforcement partners for their invaluable assistance in this investigation.”
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