CLEVELAND — U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler announced that the federal grand jury charged four men in connection with organizing and engaging in a conspiracy to steal, sell and purchase high-end vehicles in addition to robbing Postal Service carriers and stealing from U.S. mail, according to the press release.
The charges come after authorities obtained multiple pieces of evidence in February of stolen mail and records that totaled a $2.7 million potential loss as a result of the schemes, the release states.
The nine-count indictment charged Jaylen Harris, Lavelle Jones, Devin Rice and Hakim Benjamin with conspiracy to commit the sale or receipt of stolen vehicles and the sale of stolen vehicles, the release said.
Additionally, Rice and Jones are charged with additional counts of possession of stolen mail. Rice is also indicted with aiding the robbery of a postal carrier and stealing keys adopted by the postal office, officials said.
From December 2021 thru February 2022, the men are accused of stealing and purchasing high-end vehicles from dealerships in Michigan, then transporting them to Northeast Ohio to be re-sold, according to the release.
They targeted certain vehicles such as the Dodge Durango, Dodge Ram TRX, Audi 8 and others.
In addition to the car theft charges, Rice and Jones allegedly would “often rob mail carriers of their collection box keys while on duty” to steal checks and other valuable items from the mail, the release said.
According to officials, Rice was also charged with illegal possession of a machine gun after robbing and assaulting a Postal Service carrier in January 2021.
The case was investigated by the FBI, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and others.
Watch our previous report on the arrests of the 4 men below:
RELATED: Shaker Heights men accused in $2.7 million mail, fraud, and car theft ring
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