Virginia Men Face Prison Sentences in Mail Theft Case
Kenshaun Thompson and Adam Bekele are guilty of federal charges involving stolen mail. U.S. Postal Inspectors caught them on surveillance cameras opening boxes with an “arrow key” and stealing mail. Photo credit: Plat-Q / Shutterstock.com.
Kenshaun Thompson, 26, of Springfield, was convicted by a federal jury on Aug. 15 on three counts of possessing and receiving stolen mail. His co-defendant, 33-year-old Adam Bekele of Annandale, pled guilty on Feb. 22 to one count of conspiracy to commit mail theft, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Bekele is to be sentenced on Oct. 3 and faces up to five years in prison. Thompson is to be sentenced on Dec. 5 and could face a maximum sentence of 15 years.
The prosecutors said evidence proved Thompson “participated in a conspiracy to steal mail on several occasions in October 2023.”
Caught on Camera
Court documents state Bekele was seen on surveillance cameras accessing several mailboxes, including one at West Springfield Post Office. He took the stolen mail to an apartment in Falls Church and gave it to Thompson, the press release recounts.
“Arrow Key”
Postal Inspector Carl Swanson, who conducted the investigation into the string of thefts, said in an affidavit to the court that an increase in mail theft at West Springfield Post Office prompted surveillance of the mailboxes. It was determined that an “arrow key” that would provide access to the boxes had been lost or stolen and never recovered. The surveillance equipment included a still-shot camera that would only be activated if someone used an “arrow key” to open the box.
An “arrow key” is a specialized general access key that opens many different postal boxes, Swanson explained in his statement. “They are often stolen or fraudulently obtained by those who want to steal mail. When used lawfully, arrow keys are essential to conducting USPS business.” He said carriers and clerks must sign out and sign in the keys whenever they are used and are not allowed to possess them except during work hours and and official USPS business.
Surveillance cameras caught images of Bekele on Aug. 21 and Oct. 1 taking mail from the boxes. A license plate reader set up to monitor the box identified the vehicle, which was a rental car. Further investigation provided Bekele’s name.
The investigator determined from the rental car’s GPS where the suspect likely lived. A check of that address found the resident to be Thompson. Swanson also discovered the address of a Falls River apartment rented by Bekele.
Swanson said he reviewed surveillance footage from that apartment complex. The video included images of Thompson interacting with Bekele on the dates when mail was stolen.
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