A Washington, D.C. man arrested by Montgomery County Police in Potomac after stealing mail from collection boxes will spend 17 years in federal prison for a string of armed robberies targeting USPS mail carriers across the region.

U.S. District Judge Lydia K. Griggsby sentenced DeAngelo Lewis, 30, on Thursday, Aug. 13, in Greenbelt to 17 years followed by three years of supervised release. A federal jury convicted Lewis on Friday, April 24, after an eight-day trial on charges including armed robbery of postal carriers, bank fraud, theft of mail and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland.

Lewis and his co-conspirators robbed seven USPS mail carriers at gunpoint between January and October 2022 in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Masked individuals approached carriers while they walked their routes, sorted mail inside postal vehicles or filled neighborhood cluster mailboxes, displayed or pointed firearms and demanded USPS property. During one robbery, a carrier was struck in the face despite already complying.

The stolen property gave the group access to personal and business checks, which they altered and deposited at banks. Prosecutors said the scheme netted nearly $1 million from victims.

The Potomac connection

The break that led to Lewis's arrest happened locally. On Oct. 27, 2022, law enforcement including Montgomery County Police observed Lewis exiting a white Dodge Challenger in Potomac, according to MoCo Show. Lewis and two co-conspirators had just stolen mail from three blue USPS collection boxes in the area. One accomplice was wearing a USPS shirt.

Investigators recovered USPS property from the vehicle that had been taken during an armed robbery of a mail carrier roughly one week earlier in the same area.

Nearly $3 million in uncashed checks

A search of Lewis's Marlow Heights apartment turned up approximately 1,500 additional stolen checks with a combined face value of nearly $3 million that had not yet been cashed. Investigators also found check-altering materials and five of the seven pieces of USPS property stolen during the carrier robberies.

Bank surveillance footage showing Lewis and others depositing stolen checks helped investigators build the case. Vehicles Lewis was known to drive, including a black Mercedes sedan and a blue Dodge Challenger, were frequently seen leaving robbery scenes. Navigation data recovered from his phone showed searches for post offices near robbery locations shortly before they occurred, which prosecutors said Lewis used to locate carriers to target.

Lewis also recruited people through social media to deposit stolen checks into their bank accounts in exchange for a cut of the proceeds.

Co-conspirators await sentencing

Two co-conspirators have pleaded guilty. Marking Long, 24, of Washington, D.C., and Enrico Hood-Jackson, 32, of Upper Marlboro, both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and bank fraud. Hood-Jackson also pleaded guilty to armed robbery and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence. Both are scheduled to be sentenced later in 2026.

The investigation involved the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Prince George's County Police Department and Montgomery County Police Department.

Residents who suspect mail theft or tampering can report it to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at 877-876-2455 or online at uspis.gov.