2 Men Plead Guilty To Oklahoma Mail Carrier Robberies

Two men plead guilty to months-long mail carrier robberies across the metro.

Monday, October 16th 2023, 9:41 pm

By: News 9, Sylvia Corkill

OKLAHOMA -

Two men have pleaded guilty to a string of mail carrier robberies that plagued the metro for months.

Authorities say that Taryan Prince-Sadler and his co-defendant Rijae Luster both pleaded guilty to federal charges. Over the course of their crime spree, federal investigators said two men bilked residents out of millions of dollars.

Between August 2022 and March 2023 four USPS mail carriers were robbed at gunpoint according to investigators. During one of the robberies, in Stillwater, surveillance cameras captured the image of a white vehicle used in the robbery, according to Stillwater Police. Police said passenger side was heavily damaged and was seen following the Letter Carrier's USPS vehicle. Investigators later identified the getaway driver 21- year-old Rijae Luster.

In the course of the investigation, Luster's girlfriend told investigators on the day of the robbery, Luster told her "Taryan Prince-Sadler did the robbing; I did the driving." During the same period, law enforcement began 'receiving numerous reports of stolen U.S. mail.'

Postal Service investigators said in the months leading up to the Stillwater robbery, they fielded multiple complaints of mail theft and fraud reported to police departments across the metro.

Investigators say that during three of those robberies, two in Oklahoma City, and one in Edmond, Prince-Sadler stole USPS Arrow Keys --that are used to gain access to secured cluster mailboxes. Using those keys investigators said the 18-year-old raided various mailboxes in search of personal checks. Investigators said Prince-Sadler washed the checks and then wrote them to himself.

According to USPS, the "known intended losses are over $2.3 million." Investigators found evidence of Prince Sadler's crimes after he posted images to his social media where he displayed large amounts of cash, and "chemicals known in the use of check alteration." In another image, Prince-Sadler was pictured with a gold-plated gun, the same gun used in the robberies.

Both men face a minimum of five years in prison.