United States Attorney James T. Jacks
Northern District of Texas

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 2010
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txn/

FORT WORTH, TEXAS, MAN CHARGED WITH POSSESSING STOLEN MAIL
AND PASSING COUNTERFEIT CHECK

FORT WORTH, Texas — Casey Shawn Self, a resident of Fort Worth, was arraigned today by U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Bleil on federal charges that he possessed stolen mail and passed a counterfeit check, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Self, 46, who has been in custody since February 2010, pleaded not guilty to the charges and trial was set for June 14, 2010, before U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means.

Count one of the indictment, which was returned by a federal grand jury in Fort Worth last week, alleges that on November 22, 2008, Self had in his possession a Shell credit card in an envelope which had been stolen from the U.S. Mail. Count two of the indictment alleges that on January 28, 2010, he passed a counterfeit check at the Walmart in Burleson, Texas.

According to the affidavit filed with the criminal complaint, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) was contacted about a mailbox break-in on October 25, 2008, at the Glen Rose, Texas, Post Office, in which someone had pried the back panel off of a blue U.S. Postal Service (USPS) collection box and removed all of the mail. In November 2008, individuals notified the Somervell County Sheriff’s Department that they had placed mail in that collection box, including a Shell credit card, which they were mailing to a relative. They advised authorities that upon receiving their monthly statement, they had noticed several unauthorized charges on the credit card.

In June 2009, the Postmaster at the Lillian, Texas, Post Office, advised the USPIS that someone had pried off the back of a blue collection box, allowing full access to the outgoing mail. A few weeks later, the USPIS received a complaint from a victim in Dallas who advised that his outgoing mail had been stolen from the Lillian Post Office and that counterfeit checks were being negotiated against his account as a result of the mail theft. Surveillance video obtained from Home Depot stores in Lake Worth, Keller and Burleson Texas, clearly depicted Self negotiating the checks.

In January 2010, the Godley, Texas, Postmaster advised the USPIS that the lock securing a blue outgoing USPS collection box in front of the Post Office had been cut, allowing completeaccess to the mail. A few weeks later, the USPIS was contacted by a Johnson County Sheriff’s Office detective regarding an identity theft case in which a Godley resident reported counterfeit checks being negotiated against her account after her mail was stolen from the Godley Post Office in early January. The victim realized she had been defrauded after reviewing her bank account records and finding two unauthorized checks made payable to Walmart. After further investigation, the USPIS learned that the fraudulent checks negotiated at Walmart were counterfeit ad after reviewing surveillance video, a U.S. Postal Inspector positively identified Self.

Self, who evaded arrest on August 31, 2009, after U.S. Postal Inspectors and a detective with the Fort Worth Police Department witnessed him attempting to break into a blue USPS collection box located in front of the Tate Springs Post Office in Arlington, Texas, had been the subject of a year-long investigation and was being sought on related state charges of evading arrest and fraudulent use or possession of identifying information. In addition, Self was wanted for questioning in connection with break-ins of blue USPS outgoing collection boxes and the subsequent theft of the mail they contained.

Self was arrested in February 2010 in Parker County, Texas, by officials with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, for fishing on private property without the landowner’s consent. He has been in custody since that time.

An indictment is an accusation by a federal grand jury and a defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty. A federal complaint is a written statement of the essential facts of the offenses charged, and must be made under oath before a magistrate judge. If convicted, however, Self faces a maximum statutory sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the possession of stolen mail count and 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, on the counterfeit securities count.

Postal Inspectors advise the public that if they believe they have been a victim of Casey Self's alleged crimes, they should file a mail theft report at 877-876-2455, option “2,” or through the agency’s website, www.postalinspectors.uspis.gov

The case is being investigated by the USPIS and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. Bradford.

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