United States Attorney James T. Jacks
Northern District of Texas

MONDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2010
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txn/

FORT WORTH, TEXAS, MAN SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON
IN POSTAL THEFT AND COUNTERFEITING CASE

FORT WORTH, Texas — Casey Shawn Self, 46, of Fort Worth, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means to a total of 180 months in federal prison for possessing stolen mail and passing a counterfeit check, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. In addition, Judge Means ordered that Self pay $138,756 in restitution.

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, at the time of his arrest, 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. He was arrested on February 20, 2010, in Parker County, Texas, by Texas Fish and Wildlife Game Warden for attempted criminal trespassing

According to plea documents filed in the case, in mid-November 2008, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) was contacted by the Post Office in Glen Rose, Texas, advising that one of their blue collection boxes had been broken into on October 25, 2008. On November 10, 2008, the Somervell County Sheriff’s Department was advised by an individual that prior to the collection box break-in, he and his wife had placed several pieces of mail, including a Shell Card Personal credit card that they were mailing to a relative, in that collection box. Upon receiving their monthly statement, they had noticed several unauthorized charges on the card.

On January 10, 2010, the USPIS was contacted by the Godley Post Office regarding a break in at their facility in which the lock securing a blue outgoing USPS collection box had been cut, allowing complete access to the mail which had been left for delivery. On February 9, the USPIS was contacted by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office regarding a case in which a Godley, Texas, resident had reported counterfeit checks being negotiated against her account

1after her mail was stolen from the outgoing collection box in front of the Godley Post Office in early January. She realized she had been defrauded after reviewing her bank account records and finding two unauthorized checks had been made payable to a Walmart in Burleson, Texas, and a Walmart in Hillsboro, Texas.

The investigation revealed that the fraudulent checks negotiated at Walmart were counterfeit and a copy of video surveillance at one Walmart showed Casey Shawn Self presenting the check for payment.

Self admitted to committing multiple collection box break-ins, including mail thefts at the Godley Post Office, the Tate Springs Post Office and the Glen Rose Post Office. He admitted that he targeted outgoing mail from blue USPS collection boxes which he would use to produce counterfeit checks and IDs. He also admitted stealing and using the Shell Card Personal credit card he stole from the collection box outside the post office in Glen Rose.

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 was investigated by the USPIS and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. Bradford.

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