Tampa, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Omar Rochester Miller, Jr. (23, Tampa) guilty of armed robbery of a postal carrier, theft of postal keys, and brandishing a firearm during the robbery. Miller faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in federal prison for the armed robbery, 10 years for the theft of postal keys, and a minimum mandatory 7 years’ imprisonment for brandishing the firearm. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 3, 2023.
Miller, along with Christopher Diaz, a.k.a., Chico, were indicted on December 7, 2021. Diaz pleaded guilty on January 10, 2023, to armed robbery of a postal carrier and theft of postal keys. His sentencing is scheduled for April 3, 2023. Edwin Betancourt Vega was also charged for his role in the robbery and pleaded guilty to armed robbery of a postal carrier and theft of postal keys. His sentencing is scheduled for February 3, 2023.
According to evidence presented at trial, Miller robbed a postal carrier at gunpoint while she was delivering mail to an apartment complex. Miller approached the postal carrier from behind, pointed a firearm at her, threatened to shoot her, and demanded her postal keys. After Miller successfully stole the postal keys, he pushed the carrier to the ground and ran to a waiting getaway car driven by Betancourt Vega. This robbery was organized through phone calls and text messages between Betancourt Vega and Diaz, to coordinate the robbery and sale of the postal keys in exchange for cash. During the investigation, law enforcement recovered the postal keys, as well as proceeds from the sale of the key from both Miller and Betancourt Vega, along with the firearm used in the robbery, which contained Miller’s DNA.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ilyssa M. Spergel and Stacie B. Harris.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
