NEWARK, N.J. (1010 WINS) — A New Jersey man pleaded guilty Wednesday for his role in a scheme to bribe mail carriers for special keys to open post office boxes.
Amin C. Jones, 29, pleaded guilty in Newark federal court to one count each of bribery of U.S. Postal Service mail carriers and conspiracy to commit bank fraud, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said in a statement.
According to court documents, Jones schemed to bribe mail carriers in East Orange and Newark by offering them cash, typically $5,000, in exchange for the mail carriers giving Jones a postal arrow key, which could be used to access a variety of postal service mail boxes. Jones and others sought USPS arrow keys so that they could steal mail.
Jones and another individual drove to various locations in East Orange and Newark, where they stopped over four different mail carriers, including an undercover postal inspector — whom Jones believed was a mail carrier — and handed them a note indicating they would give $5,000 to the mail carrier in exchange for an arrow key.
Prosecutors said that Jones conspired with others to fraudulently obtain funds from banks by stealing mail, using stolen checks and bank cards to draw funds from bank accounts linked to the stolen items and using the identification of others to fraudulently obtain funds.
Jones faces up to 30 years in prison and more than $1 million in fines when he is sentenced in April.
It wasn't immediately clear what happened to the mail carriers who allegedly accepted the bribes.
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