A Buffalo woman pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to steal mail from mailboxes in Hamburg, federal prosecutors said.
Alexandria Duncan, 23, entered the plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy to conspiracy to commit mail theft, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Prosecutors said Duncan conspired with co-defendant Timothee S. Tidwell between Oct. 9 and Oct. 14, 2024, to steal mail from receptacles in Hamburg and remove items from the stolen envelopes.
During the early morning hours of Oct. 14, 2024, Duncan drove Tidwell to Camp Road, where he approached a row of mailboxes outside the post office using a postal arrow key he was not legally entitled to possess.
After Tidwell exited the vehicle, Duncan drove across the street to a gas station where a Village of Hamburg police officer approached her.
While the officer interacted with Duncan, Tidwell fled the scene.
Investigators said the pair used the arrow key to open multiple mailboxes in the Hamburg area and steal mail.
On Oct. 14, law enforcement recovered opened and unopened mail addressed to other individuals from Duncan’s vehicle.
The opened mail included checks from various individuals and businesses totaling about $369,104.92.
The case was investigated by the Village of Hamburg Police Department and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
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