Harder’s Amendment to Prosecute More Mail Theft Passes Out of Committee

WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Josh Harder (CA-09) announced that his amendment to prosecute more mail theft passed the U.S. House Appropriations Committee last night after Harder pushed to include the provision during budget negotiations. Harder’s amendment, which received unanimous support in committee and now advances to the House floor, creates a new joint-agency task force led by the Department of Justice focused solely on combating mail theft.

Stockton is at the center of a national mail theft epidemic:

• Nationwide, reports of mail theft have increased 139% since the pandemic, with check fraud stemming from mail theft causing over $20 billion in losses in 2023.
• Mail theft is hitting Stockton the hardest – hundreds of mailboxes have been broken into and destroyed, dozens of master keys have been stolen, and thousands of dollars in stolen mail and packages have been swiped.
• Mail theft is more than just an inconvenience – this crime just feet from families’ front doors leads to identity fraud, destroyed credit, and repeated victimization especially after master keys are stolen.

“Mail theft in Stockton is out of control, and our families deserve justice through tougher penalties and stronger enforcement,” said Rep. Harder. “That’s why I pushed to pass my amendment to bring the full weight of the federal government down on these criminals. No one in our community should have to be afraid to check for their mail, and I’m going to continue fighting to end this crisis in our neighborhoods.”

Harder is leading efforts to crack down on rising mail theft:

• More Prosecution – Harder’s amendment creates a Mail Theft and Fraud Task Force led by the Department of Justice focused solely on combating mail theft and putting more criminals behind bars.
• Postal Oversight – Harder is demanding stronger oversight of postal services by calling for an independent audit through the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General.

In December, Harder’s calls for action from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) led to multiple arrests in the Valley and the recovery of hundreds of pieces of stolen mail. Harder has also been calling for the USPIS anti-mail theft initiative, Project Safe Delivery, to be expanded to Stockton, especially new high-tech electronic locks on cluster mailboxes.

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