Officials are asking Chicagoans to help them identify a fake mailman who has been accused of making pretend rounds in the city’s downtown area.
Authorities with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are offering a $100,000 reward to the person who assists them in finding, arresting, and convicting the suspect, CWB Chicago reported Saturday.
The man is accused of wearing a U.S. Postal Service uniform and stealing mail from residential and commercial buildings in the Loop.
Anyone with information regarding the situation was asked to call the postal inspection 24-hour hotline by dialing 877-876-2455. Callers should reference case number 4142062.
An image shows the suspect who is wearing what appears to be a U.S. Postal Service hat and a sweater also bearing the logo while carrying a package:
The CWB Chicago report said the tactic is nothing new when it comes to the people stealing mail throughout the city and referenced a Lincoln Park mail theft case in 2022:
“He was trying to play it off like he was looking to place mail in one of our boxes … walked in with an empty bag, wearing a USPS jacket, COVID mask, red and black hat, reeked of weed,” said a CWB reader who crossed paths with the thief. So far, no arrests have been announced in that case.
Two brothers from Temecula, California, recently pleaded guilty to defrauding the U.S. Postal Service out of over $2.3 million, Breitbart News reported Monday.
“The brothers now face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison regarding the case,” the outlet said.
In January 2023, a U.S. Postal Service worker was robbed in Chicago as mail thefts plagued the area, according to Breitbart News.
“Mail theft has also spread to Chicago suburbs. Local police in Naperville and Barrington Hills issued alerts to residents in December due to an increase of theft from blue collection mailboxes,” the report said.
“According to the Chicago Police Department, criminal complaints about theft increased by 56 percent from 2021 to 2022,” the outlet concluded.
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