Show-Me State Times

ST. LOUIS – Two men have admitted to the armed robbery of three U.S. Postal Service letter carriers in St. Louis County in 2022 as part of a conspiracy to steal checks from the mail.

Xavier Sean Boyd, 20, of Jennings, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Wednesday to three counts of robbery and two counts of possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a robbery.

Roy Lee Jones, 22, pleaded guilty on August 13 to one count of robbery, one count of theft of a mail key, and one count of possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a robbery.

Both men admitted being part of a group of five young adults who, in the summer of 2022, engaged in a conspiracy to steal checks from the mail, illegally alter them, and deposit them into third-party accounts.

“This guilty plea is a testament to the hard work and dedication by Postal Inspectors and our local partners in bringing perpetrators of violent crimes to justice,” said Acting Inspector in Charge John Jackman, who leads the St. Louis Field Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “The Postal Inspection Service will relentlessly pursue criminals who victimize the general public and postal customers.”

A masked Boyd robbed a U.S. Postal Carrier at gunpoint on June 1, 2022, on Chambers Road in St. Louis County, stealing the “arrow” key that opens collection boxes.

The group then used that key four days later to steal mail from collection boxes in Berkeley, West Florissant, Normandy, Overland, and Ferguson. They were unsuccessful in recruiting third parties to allow their bank accounts to be used; thus Boyd and Jones used their own accounts. On June 7, 2022, they deposited $19,199.60 in stolen checks into Jones' credit union account. The next day they tried to withdraw $19,200 but only obtained $8,500; the remainder was reclaimed when the fraudulent deposits were discovered. They deposited an unknown amount into Xavier Boyd's bank account but were not able to withdraw any funds.

On June 9 afternoon Boyd was driving his mother’s SUV when Jones robbed another postal carrier for his arrow key. Less than 20 minutes later Boyd robbed a third carrier; however, this carrier noted the license plate number on Boyd’s mother’s car which led police to spot the vehicle within minutes.

After a high-speed chase Boyd crashed the SUV and both men fled carrying pistols. Police tackled Boyd near the SUV while Jones was arrested on the front steps of a nearby daycare center.

Jones is scheduled for sentencing on November 15 while Boyd is set for December 18.

The robbery charge carries up to 25 years imprisonment; theft charges carry up to ten years; firearm charges carry at least seven years consecutive to other charges.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and St. Louis County Police investigated this case with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Dunkel prosecuting it.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), aiming at reducing violent crime through community trust-building initiatives strategic enforcement priorities support for community-based organizations preventing violence measuring results.