A 33-year-old Anaheim man suspected of stealing mail throughout Irvine was arrested June 28 on suspicion of burglary and identity theft, police said.
The suspect, described as a prolific mail thief by police, is believed to work in construction. Police served a search warrant at the suspect’s girlfriend’s home after tracing the man back to a vehicle seen during one of the crimes, which an officer had recognized from a prior stop, said Irvine Police Sgt. Karie Davies.
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Mail that could be used to commit identity theft, such as involving credit cards, bank cards, IDs, and passports, were some of the mail targeted by the suspect, Davies said.
During the search warrant, thousands of pieces of mail were recovered from the suspect’s girlfriend’s residence.
According to police, the suspect had an elaborate locksmith setup that he used to create keys to access mailboxes and buildings, mostly from apartment communities and large mailboxes that used a master key to open, police said.
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Due to the volume of evidence recovered, police do not have a list of the neighborhoods targeted yet, said Davies.
Detectives are working alongside U.S. Postal Service inspectors to identify victims and other potential crimes committed, police said in a statement.
