New Jersey man pleads guilty to robbing Maine postal workers at knifepoint and burglarizing 2 post offices

A New Jersey man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to burglarizing two Maine post offices and robbing two letter carriers at knifepoint.

Winston McLeod, 31, and Lance Funderburk broke into post offices in Paris and North Monmouth during a one-week period in January 2024 and stole money order printers, mail, computers, post office box keys and other items, according to court records.

Authorities said the two men then robbed two Lewiston postal carriers Jan. 20, threatening to stab each of them with a knife unless they turned over their postal keys.

The two men were arrested by police following a traffic stop. Their vehicle, a white Jeep, matched a vehicle seen in videos from each crime scene, according to police.

Police found a black butterfly knife, black ski mask, large sums of cash and several checks stolen from the Paris post office after searching the vehicle.

When responding to the Paris location, postal inspectors also found two iPhones in the snow directly beneath the broken window used to access the post office.

Investigators identified McLeod through a photo of him on the lock screen of one of the phones.

Police also found other stolen items at and near the address where the two men had been staying.

McLeod faces up to 25 years in prison on each of the two robbery counts, up to five years imprisonment on each of the two burglary counts and up to five years on the conspiracy count.

McLeod will be sentenced at a later date.

Funderburk’s criminal case is ongoing.