More than $1 million likely stolen in Delray Beach mail-theft scheme, investigators say

DELRAY BEACH — A southern Palm Beach County mail-theft scheme that resulted in the arrests of five people on racketeering charges earlier this month may have involved more than two dozen conspirators and resulted in more than $1 million in losses to their victims, Delray Beach police say.

Officers this week described a monthslong investigation into suspected mail theft and check fraud in multiple areas of the county.

During a news conference on Tuesday, July 16, at Delray Beach police headquarters, Detective Kimberly Mead outlined numbers that police say shows the scope of the scam.

• More than 30 people are suspected of being involved, with investigators seeking to make more arrests.
• More than 2,000 victims have been identified, including some who live out of of state.
• To date, investigators have identified more than $800,000 stolen through the mail-theft scheme, with that figure likely surpass to $1 million.

"This has affected an extreme number of victims and has caused severe financial losses," Mead said. "We hope this sends a message to offenders or would-be offenders that law enforcement and prosecutors are taking this seriously."

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Investigators said the scheme has involved several facets, including using stolen postal arrow keys to access mail from community mailboxes and blue drop boxes.

Checks taken from the stolen mail were then "washed" to remove certain information, then rewritten with new payout amounts to a different payee.

Mead said a search warrant obtained in March 2023 yielded more than 1,600 checks and money orders, check-washing and printing materials and blank paper for printing new checks. Some involved in the scheme allowed for their bank accounts to be used to deposit fraudulent checks, with the money later being withdrawn and divided among the co-conspirators, Mead said.

Accounts using stolen identities were also used to deposit counterfeit checks. Mead said the suspects have largely avoided making lavish purchases, spending the stolen funds on smaller items such as shoes and jewelry.

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She described one defendant, 21-year-old Jordan St. Val of Boynton Beach, as the leader of the operation, noting that he is also suspected in mail-theft cases in Boca Raton.

Last week, the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office announced the arrests of St. Val, along with Dario Cadet and Joelson Gabrius, both 24, Mozelle Estica, 23, and Billy Cadet, 20, on charges of racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering and fraudulent use of personal identification.

Palm Beach County Jail records showed that all five remained in custody as of Thursday, July 18. A circuit judge last week found that Dario Cadet, Billy Cadet and St. Val were indigent, meaning they will likely be appointed a public defender or private attorney by the court. It was not clear whether Gabrius and Estica will have a public defender or private attorney.

USPS to use new technology to make collection boxes, arrow keys secure

Authorities said postal arrow keys have become highly sought-after in recent years as they can open both community mailboxes and blue drop boxes, giving the thieves access to steal people's checks, and bank and credit card statements.

The keys can only be used by postal-service employees during the course of carrying out their assigned duties and must be returned at the end of each workday.

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U.S. Postal Inspector Bryan Masmela said changes are being made to make the arrow keys and collection boxes more secure, including assigning electronic mechanisms that can remotely deactivate the keys in the event they are stolen.

"There are changes that are being made to that system. Unfortunately, it's going to take some time because it's a nationwide problem," he said.

"There are certain areas that have been hit harder than others, and those are the areas where the collection boxes are being changed to make it more difficult to break into and the locks are being changed for these arrow keys as well."

Federal and local law-enforcement officials urge residents to pick up delivered mail as quickly as possible and to avoid leaving sensitive documents sitting in mail-collection boxes overnight or over the weekend. Checks and financial documents should be brought inside post offices for mailing.

Mail tampering and fraud should immediately be reported to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service by submitting an online complaint at www.uspis.gov/report or calling 877-876-2455. It offers these other tips to protect your mail and to eliminate risks to letter carriers.

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Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham . Help support our work: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: More than $1 million likely stolen in Delray Beach mail-theft scheme, investigators say