Men go ‘fishing’ in USPS box, steal mail using homemade devices in FL, feds say
Two men visited a mail collection box in Central Florida and lowered homemade “fishing” devices into the slot, snagging mail, according to federal court filings.
A witness had been watching and notified law enforcement at about 4 a.m. on July 22, 2022, that they saw one man stealing mail from the box in Winter Park, a city in the Orlando metropolitan area, before he got into a black SUV, court documents say.
A U.S. Postal Service inspector checked the USPS collection box that day and the mail slot felt sticky, according to court filings. The inspector also saw “residue” on the top of the box.
Two weeks later, law enforcement executed a search warrant of the black SUV after learning the vehicle was rented by the two men, Aquarius Jones and Johnathan Bryant, prosecutors wrote in court documents.
In the SUV, authorities found “assembled” mail fishing devices, as well as Listerine mouthwash bottles and mouse glue traps — all materials to make more devices, court documents say.
They also located 17 stolen business checks worth $12,759.15, according to prosecutors.
Charges were filed against Jones and Bryant, who now are facing possible prison time, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida said in an April 10 news release.
Their attorneys didn’t immediately return McClatchy News’ requests for comment April 11.
Jones, 24, of Fort Pierce, pleaded guilty to bank fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Bryant, 26, also of Fort Pierce, pleaded guilty to mail theft, federal prosecutors said.
The checks stolen from the mail
The checks inside the black SUV that was rented by Jones and Bryant were mailed by individuals and businesses in Winter Park and Sanford, according to court filings.
The senders told authorities that they had dropped the checks inside different USPS collection boxes in both cities, court documents say.
Fingerprints from Jones were found on one of the checks, according to prosecutors.
Before the theft, Jones and Bryant agreed to go “fishing” for mail in Snapchat messages they exchanged on July 21, 2022, at about 8:40 p.m., court documents say.
“Fishin tn?,” Jones asked over Snapchat, according to court documents.
“Ya fam we can slide,” Bryant wrote in reply, court filings show.
Mail fishing devices usually involve a string, “a weighted item that can fit down the mail slot,” and a “sticky substance,” prosecutors wrote in court documents.
Another mail theft scheme
Jones, who pleaded guilty to the bank fraud charge, was involved in another mail theft scheme between January and July of 2022, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
After obtaining stolen checks, prosecutors say he changed the names of the payees and then deposited the checks into several bank accounts belonging to different people.
The 26 checks were stolen from the mail by Jones and other “participants” and were worth $215,811.93, according to court documents.
He faces up to 30 years in prison on the charge of bank fraud, prosecutors said.
Bryant faces up to five years after pleading guilty to mail theft, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Their sentencing hearings haven’t been scheduled yet, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Mail theft in the US
During the early COVID-19 pandemic, there was a sharp increase in mail theft complaints, according to a September 2023 report issued by the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General.
From March 2020 through February 2021, there were 299,020 mail theft complaints — a 161% increase “compared to the same period in the previous year,” the report said.
Suspected mail theft can be reported to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service online or by calling 1-877-876-2455.
This story was originally published April 11, 2025 at 12:03 PM with the headline "Men go ‘fishing’ in USPS box, steal mail using homemade devices in FL, feds say."
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