Florida men accused of stealing mail from collection boxes

FLORIDA – Two Florida men have been arrested for allegedly stealing mail and possession of a postal key that reportedly opens U.S. Postal Service collection boxes, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida has announced.

Jordan Jax, 23, of Newberry, and Tarod Goodman, Jr., 23, of Gainesville, have been arrested and charged for theft of mail and possession of a stolen or reproduced postal key, said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg

If convicted, Jax and Goodman each face up to five years in federal prison for theft of mail and up to 10 years imprisonment for possession of the postal key.

According to court documents, between October 2022 and January 24, 2023, Jax and Goodman used a postal key on multiple occasions to access U.S. Postal Service (USPS) collection boxes in Marion County and steal mail.

Deputies from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Postal Inspector reportedly conducted surveillance and caught the pair after they were alleged to have loaded mail into Jax’s vehicle. Agents also said they recovered a postal key that had been used to open the collection boxes.

A complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and its Aviation Unit, as well as the United States Postal Inspection Service. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.