ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A federal grand jury has indicted six former employees of an Alaska commuter airline on charges of stealing mail over two years, including 343 computers headed to schools in rural villages.
The six ramp agents were employed by Ravn Air. U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder said the six were charged with stealing Apple computers and other mail, conspiracy and possession of stolen mail.
The value of the items stolen from March 2015 to April 2017 was $489,000. Besides computers, the men are suspected of stealing cellphones, cigarettes and chewing tobacco.
Latest videos
- Report: Ivanka Trump Part Of Effort To Potentially Replace John Kelly GeoBeats
- Women's March Sets Its Sights On Ballot Box Associated Press
- Trump Arrives at Pentagon Amid Budget Battles Associated Press
- Catalan parliament holds first meeting, voting in separatist MP as speaker Euronews
- Biden: We're Undergoing 'A Battle For The Soul Of The Nation' GeoBeats
- Thousands evacuated as Philippine volcano nears eruption Euronews
- Legendary Musician Eric Clapton Says He Is Going Deaf Wibbitz
- James Franco Accused of Inappropriate Behavior By Five Women Entertainment Weekly
- Is an Oprah Presidency a “Slayed or Shade”? Essence
- House GOP Leaders Look Ahead to 2018 Agenda Associated Press
- Did Steve Bannon ever matter? Mic
- Nissan Brain-to-Vehicle technology redefines future of driving - Vehicle Prototype and Action Prediction Validation AutomotoTV
- Executive order targets gun shows Fox5
- Trump Mocks Kim Jong Un: My Nuclear Button is 'Much Bigger' Wibbitz
- Teen Kills Family in New Year's Eve Shooting Time
- Fire at Rooftop Mumbai Restaurant Leaves 15 Dead Associated Press
- Boiling Water Turns to Snow in Record N.H. Cold Associated Press
- Obama: Leaders Should Create A 'Common Space' On The Internet GeoBeats
- Firefighters head from Granite State to help California WMUR
- Senate moves tax cut legislation to brink of final passage Chicago Tribune
The six include Congress Lepou, 29, Breadoflife "Presley" Faiupu, 36, Hubert Barte, 37, Paulo Maae, 24, Harold Velicaria, 35, and Rogelio "Roger" Daquis, 49.
One suspect was arrested Friday and five others were arrested Monday. All but Maae were in custody Monday afternoon at the Anchorage jail, according to online corrections listings. The indictment did not list their attorneys.
Ravn was authorized to pick up mail from the U.S. Postal Service Processing and Distribution Center in Anchorage and move it to Ravn facilities for placement on planes and delivery to villages, including the western Alaska communities of Saint Marys, Mountain Village, Stebbins, Unalakleet, Emmonak, Kotlik, Alakanuk, Aniak, Grayling, Kalskag and Koyuk.
Lepou was a lead ramp agent and Faiupu was a ramp agent trainer.
Prosecutors said Lepou and Faiupu used a Ravn truck to move items from the post office distribution center to the Ravn employee parking lot, where they were loaded into private vehicles.
The four others paid for stolen items or found buyers for stolen items, prosecutors said. The computers included both desktop and laptop models.
Some items were sold or given to family members or co-workers.
Lepou in April was found with two stolen computers, 667 cartons of cigarettes stolen from the mail and 305 cans of stolen chewing tobacco. He also had eight stolen prepay cellular phones worth $109,000, prosecutors said.
Ravn Air did not have immediate comment Monday.
The Postal Service Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Postal inspection Service conducted the investigation.