Two Miami men charged with mail theft after targeting 5 victims, Cape Coral police say
Two Miami men face multiple charges after authorities say they found "large amounts" of mail in their car.
This is at least the third mass mail theft incident in Southwest Florida in the past nine months, with reminders from the U.S. Postal Service on how to protect yourself.
About 2 a.m. June 8, 2022, Cape Coral Police officers responded to a call for service at the 2300 block of Southeast Eighth Place in reference to a suspicious car.
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Police said the caller alerted of a car driving driving suspiciously through the neighborhood.
They identified the driver as Dayro Cabral-Rivera, 21, and the passenger as Frankley Rodriguez-Perez, 25. Officers saw they carried "large amounts" of mail in the car.
Both said they live in Miami and were traveling to Orlando, but decided to stop in Cape Coral. They indicated they were going through mailboxes looking for "cash or anything they could use" to get gas for the car.
Police seized the mail as evidence. After a lengthy investigation, Cape Coral Police's Financial Crimes Unit detectives submitted a warrant to the State Attorney's Office, who approved the charges.
The investigation showed Cabral-Rivera and Rodriguez-Perez engaged in a scheme to defraud and obtain the property of five victims by taking their mail without their permission.
Cabral-Rivera and Rodriguez-Perez were charged with scheme to defraud and five counts of criminal use of personal identification information.
Both were jailed on a $30,000 bond. They're next due in court May 22 for their arraignments.
Recent mail theft incidents
In September, Cape Coral Police's Financial Crimes Unit completed an arrest report for Dysean Isiah Bryant, 22, that stemmed from a March 3 arrest warrant by Fort Myers Police.
Police said Bryant is responsible for 14 counts of unlawful personal identification possession, coupled with evidence of grand theft of approximately $106,691.25.
Then, in December, days after Marco Island police announced the arrest of two suspects linked to mail theft, they announced they've retrieved all stolen mail.
Police turned all mail recovered over to the United States Postal Inspection Service for processing and return to their owners.
The mail theft impacted 16 streets on Marco Island.
A Dec. 5 tip led to Marco Island police to the arrest of Aldriel Cepero-Vazquez, 24, and Lisandra Herrera de la Cruz, 20, of homestead.
How can you prevent this from happening to you?
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service suggests that mail be picked up promptly; residents inquire about overdue mail; avoid sending cash; arrange for prompt pickup; use hold for pickup; and request a signature confirmation.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Twitter @TomasFRoBeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Protect your mail from theft as third Southwest Florida arrest occurs
