HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Houston authorities have introduced a number of arrests in reference to what they name a “giant prison community liable for mail theft.”
Kenneth Charles Hicks, Wahaj Ahmed Usama, and Anthony Hale have been among the many individuals arrested for his or her alleged involvement, in accordance with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
The three are accused of mail theft, manufacturing pretend IDs, and different monetary crimes, together with financial institution fraud.
Court docket information reveal that on the time of his arrest, Hicks was already on parole for a 2007 conviction associated to tampering with a authorities document, which resulted in a 40-year jail sentence.
On April 18, police have been known as to a lodge the place a room had not been vacated after checkout. As soon as getting into the room, paperwork state police discovered proof of id theft and mail fraud, together with:
- 42 credit score and debit playing cards not belonging to any suspects
- 16 stolen checks totaling almost $5,000
- Greater than 130 items of stolen mail
- Greater than 350 items of opened mail containing delicate private data, together with tax information and financial institution paperwork
- Counterfeit U.S. Postal keys
- Instruments used to make pretend IDs, together with a number of pretend IDs utilizing actual victims’ data with the suspects’ images
- Altered Texas driver’s licenses
Data present Hicks and Hale have been additionally charged with possession of a managed substance.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service informed ABC13 in a press release that an ongoing investigation into the case is underway.
Officers stated one of the simplest ways to guard your self from mail theft is to select up your mail usually, so that it’s not sitting round for too lengthy.
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