OKLAHOMA CITY –TARYAN NABOND PRINCE-SADLER, 20, of Oklahoma City, has been sentenced to serve 120 months in federal prison for the armed robbery of a U.S. mail carrier and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On May 16, 2023, Prince-Sadler was charged by Indictment with two counts of armed robbery of mail, money, or other property of the United States, two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, two counts of unauthorized possession of a postal key, one count of possession of stolen mail, and one count of theft of mail. Prince-Sadler’s co-defendant, Rijae Varnell Luster, 23, was charged with aiding and abetting armed robbery of property of the United States.
According to public record, between August 2022 and March 2023, four separate United States postal carriers reported being robbed while delivering mail. On two of the occasions, once in Edmond (February 1, 2023) and once in Stillwater (March 4, 2023), the suspect pointed a firearm at the carrier, and then forcefully took the carrier’s “Arrow Key,” which opens postal boxes. During the Stillwater robbery, surveillance cameras spotted a white vehicle following the mail carrier before and after the robbery. An investigation of this vehicle led authorities to Luster, who has admitted to the court he drove Prince-Sadler to the Stillwater location to carry out the robbery.
In the early hours of April 17, 2023, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Inspectors tracked Prince-Sadler to a post office in Edmond and observed him unlocking mailboxes, removing U.S. mail, and placing the mail in a trash bag before attempting to get away. USPIS Inspectors immediately arrested Prince-Sadler and discovered a firearm, binoculars, stolen mail, and the Arrow Key from the February 1, 2023, armed postal robbery inside his vehicle.
USPIS has identified at least 505 victims of Prince-Sadler and Luster’s mail theft, and over $500,000 in actual losses associated with the stolen mail.
On October 16, 2023, Prince-Sadler pleaded guilty to a two-count Superseding Information. As part of his plea, Prince-Sadler admitted to forcefully taking a United States Arrow Key from a U.S. mail carrier, putting the carrier’s life in jeopardy by using a firearm, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
At the sentencing hearing on July 17, 2024, U.S. District Judge Timothy D. DeGiusti sentenced Prince-Sadler to serve 120 months in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release. In announcing his sentence, Judge DeGiusti noted the serious nature of the crime. On June 25, 2024, Luster was sentenced to serve 30 months in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for aiding and abetting armed robbery of mail, money, or other property of the United States.
This case is the result of an investigation by the USPIS. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wilson D. McGarry and Danielle London prosecuted the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.