Rio Rancho Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges Arising Out of Mail Theft Scheme

ALBUQUERQUE – Felicia Gonzales, 31, of Rio Rancho, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M, to a series of federal charges uncovered by a U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigation into a mail theft scheme.  Gonzales entered her guilty plea without the benefit of a plea agreement. 

U.S. Postal Inspectors arrested Gonzales on April 23, 2018, on a criminal complaint charging her with theft of mail, bank fraud, and identity theft.  According to the complaint, the investigation revealed that in March 2018 and April 2018, Gonzales used a counterfeit U.S. Postal Service “arrow key” to access community mailboxes in neighborhoods throughout Albuquerque and steal mail.  The investigation also revealed that Gonzales made unauthorized purchases using credit cards that were not delivered to their intended recipients.  When she was arrested, Gonzales was armed with a pistol.

Gonzales subsequently was charged in an eleven-count indictment on May 9, 2018, with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, four counts of possession of stolen mail, two counts of possession of a counterfeit U.S. Postal Service “arrow key,” three counts of bank fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft.  According to the indictment, Gonzales committed the offenses between Feb. 24, 2018 and April 23, 2018, in Bernalillo County, N.M., and elsewhere.  The indictment charged Gonzales with committing the postal theft offenses by stealing mail from mailboxes by using a counterfeit U.S. Postal Service “arrow key.”  The mail stolen included debit and credit cards with personal identifiers of victims, which were used to commit the bank fraud offenses.

During today’s change of plea hearing, Gonzales plead guilty to all eleven counts of the indictment.

Gonzales’ sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.  At sentencing, Gonzales faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison on the bank fraud charges, ten years on the firearms charge, five years on the postal theft charges, and ten years on arrow key theft charges.  Gonzales also faces a mandatory term of imprisonment of two years on the aggravated identity theft charge, which must be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed on the other charges. 

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated this case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Mysliwiec.