A reward of up to $100,000 is being offered by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in the search for two men caught on surveillance video prying open mailboxes and stealing from residents at a Sunrise apartment complex.
The video footage, obtained exclusively by CBS News Miami, shows the suspects targeting mailboxes on two separate nights in late April at Sunrise Lakes III, located at 9010 Sunrise Lakes Boulevard.
Residents react to bold theft
“That is incredible. It looks like we are living in another country,” said resident Gabriel Toro.
“It is terrible. I can’t believe it,” added resident Anna Bergara.
Brian Baris, another resident, believes both he and his roommate were among the victims.
“It’s a federal crime. It is horrible. They are looking for checks and bills and statements and credit card information. They could have stolen my credit card statements. I know for a fact that it was vehicle tag information for my roommate that he did not get and did not come in. This is horrible,” Baris said.
Suspects seen on video, authorities seek help
Inspector Bryan Masmela with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service told CBS News Miami that the suspects used screwdrivers or similar metal tools to force open the mailboxes at around 6:30 p.m. on April 26 and again at 10:30 p.m. on April 28.
The two men, described as being in their 30s and 40s, were seen leaving in a gray, newer model Toyota RAV4 with a spare “donut” tire on the front right side.
One of the suspects has visible tattoos on his arms and neck and is seen staring directly at the camera.
Masmela said it’s not yet clear what was taken but believes dozens of people were affected.
“They (suspects) are looking for checks and looking for credit cards and anything of value, but mostly they are looking for business checks and personal checks that they can wash and fraudulently deposit in bank accounts,” Masmela explained.
“Check washing is when they obtain a check and they are using certain types of chemicals or certain types of printers where they can change the payee information on a check.”
“They were very brazen,” he added. “They were doing this right at the elevators when people were coming down and others could see them from the parking lot and they didn’t seem to care about people coming off the street.”
Masmela said investigators believe the suspects may have targeted other communities and are urging anyone who may recognize them to call the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455.
“The concern is they are continuing to do this throughout the community and may be victimizing other people. It would be nice to give the community some peace and solace to know that they are not out there breaking into mailboxes and stealing information and checks,” he said.
Masmela noted that those convicted of mail theft can face up to five years in prison. While the $100,000 reward is substantial, he said similar rewards have been offered in past cases to help bring suspects to justice.
