A Charlotte man is in federal custody after stealing nearly 1,000 pieces of mail from 10 different victims.
According to the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, 38 year old Douglas Gumbs pled guilty Thursday in federal court and faces up to three decades in prison.
Court documents state Gumbs, along with another man, stole credit cards, tax forms, financial statements, and business bank checks from residential mailboxes between February 2022 and April 2023. He committed bank fraud by altering the amounts of the stolen checks or changing the names of the payees to his own and then depositing them into bank accounts he controlled.
Officials said Bank fraud carries a maximum prison term of 30 years and a $1 million fine. Gumbs is in custody, but a sentencing date has not yet been set.
The other man involved, 37 year old Soheil Akhavan Rezaie of Charlotte, a repeat offender, was previously convicted for related conduct and was sentenced to 57 months in prison.
Anyone who suspects mail theft should report it to the United State Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) immediately by calling 1-877-876-2455.
Below, find extra steps you can take to prevent mail theft:
- Promptly pick up mail – try not to leave letters and packages in the mailbox or at the door unattended for any length of time.
- Deposit mail close to pick up time – deposit outgoing mail into collection boxes before the last collection or inside the local postal office.
- Inquire about overdue mail – if you have not received valuable or important mail you’re expecting, contact the sender to inquire about it.
- Do not send cash – be careful about what you are sending in the mail. Avoid mailing cash and gift cards.
- Arrange for prompt pick up – if you will not be available to receive a package in person, contact the postal service to hold your package.
- Use the Hold for Pick Up option – when shipping packages, use the Hold for Pick Up option, so the recipients can pick up package at their local post office.
- Request signature confirmation – when mailing important mail, consider requesting a signature confirmation from the recipient.
- File a change of address – when moving, promptly file a change of address with the Postal Service.