United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that William Stewart, age 29, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced on February 6, 2025, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, for possession of stolen mail and possession of Post Office master keys. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Stewart to 40 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Stewart’s release from prison, he will begin a three-year term of supervised release.
On April 13, 2024, around midnight, a York County Deputy Sheriff pulled over Stewart who was driving a rental car eastbound on Interstate 80. The deputy smelled marijuana and searched the car, locating some marijuana paraphernalia. In the trunk, deputies found a suitcase containing a United States Postal Service envelope containing personal checks with different amounts issued by various persons and businesses. Stewart was not the payee on any of the checks. The suitcase also contained a laptop computer, a printer, and numerous blank checks. Deputies found a FedEx uniform and two United States Postal Service master or arrow keys, that are used to open Post Office collection and delivery mailboxes, in Stewart’s coat pocket. Stewart admitted the items in the car belonged to him.
In total, deputies seized 392 personal checks, 1,310 blank checks, and 42 blank check backs. Of the 392 checks located in Stewart’s vehicle, there were 294 different people or businesses who had written checks. The victims’ checks were dated between December 2023 and April 2024, ranged in value from $1 up to $31,000, and totaled $222,439.95. Of the 392 checks, there were victims located in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, New York, and Florida. Several victims incurred loss from stop or late payment fees, replacing checks, reestablishing bank accounts, and from resending checks that never made it to their destination. Stewart was ordered to pay $325.40 in restitution to cover these losses.
Deputies called two different victims from North Carolina whose checks were found. Both reported that they had issued the checks to pay bills and had placed them in mailboxes where they lived in North Carolina. Neither victim knew Stewart, nor had they given him permission to have the checks.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the York County Sheriff’s Office.
