In Chicago, thousands of checks were stolen from mailboxes: thieves changed names in them and cashed

Federal charges have been filed against five people charged with stealing mail and possessing stolen mailbox keys from the U.S. Postal Service in Chicago. Chicago Sun Times.

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Their arrests were part of "Operation Broken Arrow," an ongoing federal investigation into the theft of mail keys and mail, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois.

In the mail theft scheme, criminals steal mailbox keys from mail carriers, break into mailboxes, remove ink from checks, and cash them under different names.

Since December, more than 1000 checks from Illinois have been stolen and put up for sale on the dark web, according to one researcher.

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The charges, which were announced on October 17, showed that five people were charged in July with illegal possession of a US Postal Service key: Savannah S. Shandor, 29, Thaddeus J. Harper, 42, Sean A. White, 25, and Jordan J. McPherson, 31, all from Chicago; and Joseph T. Solomon, 37, from Norridge.

Sandor, Solomon and Harper were also accused of stealing the mail.

The indictment contained no details other than that the crimes had been committed the previous autumn and spring.

Illegal possession of a US Postal Service key is punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison. Theft of mail carries a maximum penalty of five years.

In a statement, the US Postal Inspection Service responded to complaints that the agency did not provide details of its plan to address the increase in check theft.

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“I can understand any frustration shared by the public when our agency is unable to directly comment on ongoing investigations or what is being done to hold suspects accountable for their actions,” a spokesman for the inspector's Chicago office said in an email. “I hope it is clear how deeply we strive for justice for everyone in our community who has been victimized, in one way or another, at the hands of mail thieves.”

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