A Washington, D.C. man has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for his role in a series of armed robberies targeting U.S. Postal Service mail carriers across the region, including activity in Montgomery County that ultimately led to his arrest.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, 30-year-old DeAngelo Lewis was sentenced to 17 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. A federal jury convicted Lewis on numerous charges following an eight-day trial in April, including armed robbery of postal carriers, bank fraud, theft of mail and using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
Prosecutors said Lewis and his co-conspirators robbed seven mail carriers at gunpoint in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. between January and October 2022. The group targeted carriers while they walked their routes, sorted mail inside postal vehicles or filled neighborhood cluster mailboxes.
According to evidence presented at trial, masked individuals approached carriers, displayed or pointed firearms and demanded USPS property. During one robbery, a carrier was struck in the face despite already complying with the demands.
The stolen USPS property allowed the group to access mail containing personal and business checks. Prosecutors said the checks were altered and deposited at banks, resulting in nearly $1 million being stolen from victims.
The investigation eventually led authorities to Lewis and his co-conspirators after they were seen on bank surveillance footage depositing stolen and altered checks. A search of Lewis’ Marlow Heights apartment uncovered approximately 1,500 additional checks with a combined face value of nearly $3 million, according to prosecutors. Investigators also recovered check-altering materials and five of the seven pieces of USPS property stolen during the carrier robberies.
Lewis’ activity extended into Montgomery County and played a role in his eventual arrest. On Oct. 27, 2022, law enforcement arrested Lewis after investigators observed him exiting a white Dodge Challenger. According to prosecutors, Lewis and two co-conspirators had just stolen mail from three blue USPS collection boxes in Potomac. One of the co-conspirators was wearing a USPS shirt.
Investigators also recovered USPS property from the vehicle that had been taken during the armed robbery of a mail carrier approximately one week earlier in the same area. Evidence presented at trial showed that vehicles Lewis was known to drive, including a black Mercedes sedan and blue Dodge Challenger, were frequently seen leaving robbery scenes. Navigation data recovered from his phone also showed searches for post offices near the locations of robberies shortly before they occurred, which prosecutors said Lewis used to locate mail carriers to target.
Authorities said Lewis also recruited people through social media platforms to allow stolen and altered checks to be deposited into their bank accounts in exchange for a percentage of the proceeds. Two co-conspirators, 24-year-old Marking Long of Washington, D.C. and 32-year-old Enrico Hood-Jackson of Upper Marlboro, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and bank fraud in connection with the scheme. Hood-Jackson also pleaded guilty to armed robbery and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence. Both are scheduled to be sentenced later this year.
The investigation involved the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Prince George’s County Police Department and Montgomery County Police Department. A mugshot was not provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
