Carmichael man charged with conspiracy against USPS involving armed robbery, fraud

A Carmichael man was indicted Thursday on charges that allege a conspiracy against the U.S. Postal Service involving robbery, fraud and identity theft.

Damian Deleal, 30, was charged with conspiracy, armed robbery of a U.S. mail carrier, possessing a stolen postal key and mail, bank fraud and identity theft, according to a news release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.

Deleal is accused of engaging in a conspiracy to rob a mail carrier, steal a postal key and use it to open residential mailboxes to commit bank fraud and identity theft with pilfered checks and cards, according to the release.

A co-conspirator robbed a mail carrier with a BB gun believed to have been supplied by Deleal in South Sacramento on March 9, 2018, and stole a postal key, according to the release.

Deleal’s alleged co-conspirators – Jayce Powell, Brandon Moses and Loren Patrick – pleaded guilty to federal charges in related cases, according to the release.

The four are accused of using the key to steal mail and using stolen financial information to make purchases and withdraw cash over the next week, according to the release.

Deleal and Powell are also accused of falsely claiming reward money after planting the key on Moses while he was asleep in his car and calling U.S. Postal Service authorities to report him, according to the release.

Responding investigators determined that the report had been orchestrated and made arrests, according to the release.

If convicted of bank fraud, Deleal faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. If convicted of armed robbery, he faces up to 25 years in prison and a $1 million fine. If convicted of identity theft, he faces a minimum sentence of two consecutive years in prison. If convicted of conspiracy, he faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Deleal is in custody on unrelated charges.