Man planned trio’s robbery of Dublin USPS worker from jail, prosecutors say
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Two defendants have admitted to their involvement in the armed robbery of a mail carrier in April 2023, and planning the robbery while in jail for a similar crime.
Da’mon May, 18, of Columbus, and Cody Beasley, 22, of Columbus, are two of three defendants charged in relation to the robbery. The pair both took plea agreements and changed their pleas to guilty on Thursday. The third defendant, Westerville 21-year-old Mahad Jama, previously changed his plea to guilty in September.
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On April 4 at about 3:20 p.m., May and Jama robbed a United States Postal Service letter carrier at gunpoint, who was sitting in his work vehicle on Sawmill Road in Dublin, court records show.
Jama allegedly approached the USPS vehicle, waved a gun at the worker that May provided him, and demanded the worker’s key, which gives access to mail collection boxes. Beasley aided the pair in that robbery, according to a news release from United States Attorney Kenneth Parker.
May admitted to providing Jama with a 9mm handgun before the robbery. On April 13, the stolen key was discovered at May’s residence, Parker said.
May pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the aggravated robbery of property of the United States; a crime punishable by up to 25 years in prison. He also pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the brandishing of a firearm during a crime of violence, which carries a potential sentence of at least seven years and up to life in prison.
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Beasley pleaded guilty to possessing stolen mail in another district and to aiding and abetting the aggravated robbery of property of the U.S.
He also admitted to stealing a postal key in a separate incident in March 2023 in the Cleveland area, the news release said.
Jama pleaded guilty to robbery of mail, money or other property of the U.S. and use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. He is awaiting sentencing.
In March 2023, Beasley and Jama were stopped for a traffic violation in Parma Heights and fled from law enforcement. Officers eventually detained the men and searched the vehicle they had been using, discovering a black trash bag with numerous pieces of mail that had not yet been postmarked. A search of Beasley’s phone also revealed pictures of stolen checks and that he was researching 38 Post Offices and blue USPS collection boxes in Cleveland, Parker said.
While Beasley and Jama were detained in jail together for the crime that took place in Cleveland, Beasley admitted he began planning for a new robbery in Dublin. He directed the April 4 armed robbery and later paid Jama for his alleged role in the theft, according to Parker.
Law enforcement officials are continuing to investigate a network of people involved in robbing or stealing USPS keys for the purpose of stealing checks.
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