Bakersfield Man Indicted for Burglarizing Post Office and Other Postal Crimes

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment today against Steven Ray Martin, 39, of Bakersfield, charging him with burglary of a U.S. Post Office, obstruction of correspondence, unlawful possession of a postal key, and possession of stolen mail, U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott announced.

According to court documents, on Dec. 2, 2018, Martin forcibly broke into the Corcoran Post Office where he stole mail and a cash register. Two days later, Martin stole mail from the Arvin Post Office. Finally, on Jan. 8, 2019, Martin was found in unlawful possession of at least one postal key and hundreds of pieces of stolen mail.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vincente Tennerelli and Joseph Barton are prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Martin faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the burglary, obstruction of correspondence, and possession of stolen mail charges, and 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the unlawful possession of a postal key charge. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.