BOSTON — A Boston woman will serve time in federal prison for the armed robberies of U.S. Postal Service letter carriers in Mattapan and Hyde Park in 2022, the U.S. Attorney said this week.
Myesha Lewis, 22, was sentenced Monday to three years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement Tuesday. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Dennis F. Saylor IV handed down her sentence.
In October, Lewis pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery of any person having lawful charge, control, or custody of any mail matter or of any money or other property of the United States, aiding and abetting and two counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees, aiding and abetting.
The armed robberies happened in Mattapan on Nov. 29, 2022 and in Hyde Park on Dec. 16, 2022.
In May 2023, Lewis was indicted by a federal grand jury along with Kenneth Demosthene.
In October, Demosthene was sentenced to three years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
The U.S. Postal Service has seen a rise in the use of arrow keys to facilitate the theft of U.S. Mail, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
An arrow key is a specific key designed to open designated blue USPS collection boxes in a specific area. These arrow keys are the property of USPS and it is a federal offense for an unauthorized person to possess one.
According to federal data, from 2019 through 2022, the nation saw a 512% increase year over year in arrow key robberies from letter carriers, an increase from 64 robberies in 2019 to approximately 412 robberies in 2022.
In 2023, the Postal Service reported 605 arrow key robberies – a 49% increase in robberies over the previous year.
In the last two years, 89 postal carriers were significantly injured during these robberies and at least one carrier was killed.
On Nov. 29, 2022, in Mattapan, Lewis and Demosthene forcibly robbed a USPS letter carrier of an arrow key, prosecutors said.
Demosthene approached the letter carrier and said, “I’m going to need your master key,” before reaching into the letter carrier’s mail satchel and grabbing the arrow key, prosecutors said. The key was secured around the letter carrier’s belt with a brass chain.
“The force used to physically break the brass chain caused the letter carrier to be pulled off the front steps,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Lewis and Demosthene then fled the scene in a rental vehicle.
On Dec. 16, 2022 in Hyde Park, Lewis and Demosthene robbed another USPS letter carrier of an arrow key at knife point, prosecutors said.
Demosthene approached the USPS letter carrier and said, “Give me your (expletive) arrow key,” prosecutors said.
The letter carrier put their hands in the air as the two attempted to remove the arrow key, at first by force pulling at the chain, prosecutors said. Lewis and Demosthene then tried to cut it with the knife, eventually breaking it loose and running away on foot.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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