SEATTLE – A Seattle man who committed a series of mail vehicle and mail key thefts was sentenced to over three years in prison for his various crimes.
Johny Mixayboua was sentenced to 41 months in prison for theft of government property, mail theft, illegal transactions on access devices, and illegally possessing a firearm.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Mixayboua stole postal vehicles, postal keys, and mail, causing the postal service to halt deliveries in the zip code 98118 for about a week.
According to court records, a U.S. Postal Service vehicle was stolen in the Rainier View neighborhood on December 28, 2022. The vehicle had a postal key used to access cluster mailbox units in the area, and there were multiple reports of mail being opened and stolen after the theft.
Neighbors also reported their credit cards being stolen and attempts being made to use them.
Through surveillance footage of the cluster mailboxes and from stores where Mixayboua tried to use the credit cards, police were able to identify him as the suspect.
On January 17, 2023, two more Postal Service vehicles were stolen around the Alki neighborhood. Again, Mixayboua stole mail and tried using the credit cards of neighbors.
A fourth postal service vehicle was stolen on January 30, 2023, this time in the South Seattle neighborhood. Mixayboua was once again identified as a suspect in the theft.
The thefts continued in late January and February in the Snoqualmie area, and throughout April, mail thefts continued from as far north as Lake Forest Park and as far south as southeast Seattle.
Mixayboua was living in a vehicle near a relative’s home, and he was arrested after running from officers.
Law enforcement also found a Polymer unregistered firearm, known as a “ghost gun,” that Mixayboua threw in the bushes while running from police.
At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Richard A. Jones said, “You had opportunities to look at your past and look at your future. You have failed to take advantage of the opportunities provided along the way to change your future. As you grow and mature, you will see all the years wasted engaged in criminal activity.”
“Mr. Mixayboua’s thefts caused widespread hardship – especially for the elderly and disabled who were suddenly forced to line up at the post office to get their mail,” said U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman. “The theft of checks and credit cards caused harm to those hit with fraudulent charges. But even those who did not suffer theft were impacted. Individuals who relied on the mail for medication, medical supplies, food, and financial documents, were asked to physically come into the post office to pick up their mail because they had to shut down service due to the defendant’s actions.”
